Building RESTful APIs with Node.js

Introduction to REST APIs

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing networked applications. Let's build a production-ready API with Node.js.

Setting Up the Project

npm init -y
npm install express mongoose dotenv helmet cors

Basic Server Setup

const express = require('express');
const helmet = require('helmet');
const cors = require('cors');
const app = express();
app.use(helmet());
app.use(cors());
app.use(express.json());
app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running on port 3000');
});

RESTful Routes

// GET all users
app.get('/api/users', async (req, res) => {
  const users = await User.find();
  res.json(users);
});
// GET single user
app.get('/api/users/:id', async (req, res) => {
  const user = await User.findById(req.params.id);
  res.json(user);
});
// POST new user
app.post('/api/users', async (req, res) => {
  const user = await User.create(req.body);
  res.status(201).json(user);
});

Conclusion

Building REST APIs with Node.js is straightforward and powerful. Remember to always validate input, handle errors gracefully, and secure your endpoints.