ExpressJS
What is Express
Express is a small framework that sits on top on NodeJS to simplify its APIs and add features
Express vs. Node
Processes take many lines of code in NodeJS whereas the may only take a few with ExpressJS
Express is Unopinionated
Certain things you have to do the 'Express Way' but outside of that you get to choose how you design your app
We will be splitting our code up into smaller organized, understandable pieces using the MVC or Model - View - Controller paradigm
Express has 3 main parts:
- middleware
- routing
- subapplication (usually called router)
Middleware
Middleware is an array of functions that run in our code. It allows many handlers (functions) to run in sequence
Routing
Routing has to do with choosing paths or routes to deliver code. Much easier in Express than in vanilla NodeJS
Subapplication
Commonly known as router. This is built into Express and allows us to separate our routes as our code base grows larger.
Other Frameworks
- Hapi
- Meteor
- Kraken
Routing parts
app.METHOD( PATH, MAYBE MIDDLEWARE, HANDLER)
app.get( '/users', authenticate, (req, res) => {
....do something here
});
Lets build an Express Server
