95 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
95 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
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---
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title: Creating a Simple REST API
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description: Creating a simple REST API with NodeJS and Express
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published: true
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date: 2023-06-28T20:38:30.081Z
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tags: nodejs, rest, api, express
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editor: markdown
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dateCreated: 2023-06-28T20:38:59.640Z
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---
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# Creating a Simple REST API
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## Introduction
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In this guide we will be creating a simple REST API using NodeJS and Express. We will be using the following tools:
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- NodeJS
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- Express
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## Prerequisites
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- NodeJS installed
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- NPM installed
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## Creating the project
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1. First we need to create a new directory for our project. You can do this by creating a new folder in your file explorer or by using the following command:
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```bash
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mkdir nodejs-rest-api
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```
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2. Next, we need to navigate to our new directory. We can do this by opening the folder in our file explorer or by using the following command:
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```bash
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cd nodejs-rest-api
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```
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3. Next, we need to initialize our project. We can do this by running the following command:
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```bash
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npm init -y
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```
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4. Next, we need to install the Express package. We can do this by running the following command:
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```bash
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npm install express
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```
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5. Next, we need to create a new file called `index.js`.
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6. Next, we need to open the `index.js` file and add the following code:
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```javascript
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const express = require("express");
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const app = express();
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```
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This will import the Express package and create a new Express application.
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7. Next, we need to add the following code to the `index.js` file:
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```javascript
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app.get("/", (req, res) => {
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res
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.contentType("application/json")
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.send(JSON.stringify({ message: "Hello World!" }));
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});
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```
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This will create a new route that will return a JSON object with the message "Hello World!".
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8. Next, we need to add the following code to the `index.js` file:
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```javascript
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app.listen(3000, () => {
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console.log("Server is running on port 3000");
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});
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```
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This will start the server on port 3000.
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9. Next, we need to run the following command to start the server:
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```bash
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node index.js
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```
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10. Next, we need to open our browser and navigate to `http://localhost:3000/`. We should see the message "Hello World!".
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## Conclusion
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In this guide we created a simple REST API using NodeJS and Express. We created a new directory for our project, initialized our project, installed the Express package, created a new file called `index.js`, added the code to the `index.js` file, and started the server.
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