Building a Website with Node.js and Express.js

Course details

Node.js is a major platform for the web, used by companies like Uber, Netflix, and Intuit. Express.js is a fast, minimalist framework that sits on top of Node.js and allows you to build powerful single- and multi-page web applications and websites. In this course, instructor Daniel Khan shows how to build a realistic and robust website with these technologies. Learn how to build a basic application in minutes, transform HTML into dynamic pages, leverage template engines to modularize code, add routing and business logic, handle errors, store form data, and create API endpoints for single-page applications. Along the way, Daniel helps you pick up bits and pieces about Express.js and improve your overall knowledge of how to work effectively with Node.js.

Learning objectives
Creating a basic Express.js application
Serving HTML pages and static content
Creating routes
Using templates
Handling errors in Express.js
Handling POST requests
Storing form data

Concepts

Introduction

Dynamic websites with Node and Express
What you should know
Using the exercise files and GitHub
Setting up your development environment

Building a Basic Express Application

Create an Express server in three minutes
Building from a HTML page or template
Serving HTML pages and static content
Setting up ESLint and Prettier
Setting up nodemon

Template Engines

Template engines and Express
Getting to know the EJS template engine
Rendering the index page with EJS

Express Routes and Middleware

Express middleware and routes
Modular routes with express.Router
Creating routes for all subpages
Add business logic
Add a session management middleware

Professional Templating with Express

Create a site-wide layout
Using partials with EJS
Template variables in more detail
Looping through lists in templates
Creating a list page
Using parameter routes
Challenge - Partials and lists
Solution - Partials and lists

Handling Errors Gracefully

How to handle errors in express
Creating an error page
Populating the error page

Handling Form Data

Creating a form template
Handling POST requests
Validating and sanitizing user input
Storing data

Creating APIs with Express

A little intro to REST APIs
Creating and testing an API endpoint
Add client side JavaScript
Updating the page from REST

Conclusion

Build on what you've learned