📝 Title: From Zero to API Hero: Build Your First Node.js App
💬 Introduction
Welcome to your backend journey! In this blog, you’ll learn how to build a REST API using Node.js, Express, and test it using Postman and curl. Whether you're a beginner or brushing up on skills, this guide will help you get there 🚀.
🧠 Quote of the Day
“The best way to learn is by building.” — Every developer ever
📚 What You’ll Learn
Setting up a Node.js project
Creating REST endpoints using Express
Testing using Postman
Adding error handling
🧪 Test Your API
You can test this in your terminal or with Postman.
curl http://localhost:3000➕ Add a New Route
Let’s add a simple POST route for users.
let users = [];
app.post('/users', (req, res) => {
const user = { id: Date.now(), ...req.body };
users.push(user);
res.status(201).json(user);
});❗ Add Error Handling Middleware
app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
console.error(err.stack);
res.status(500).send('Something broke!');
});🌐 External Resources
Check out the Express documentation for more advanced usage.
✅ Conclusion
You now have a working API! Try adding MongoDB next, use environment variables with dotenv, or deploy your app to Render or Vercel.