WEB DEVELOPMENT USING MEAN STACK

Unit 2 - Express Framework

1. Introduction to Express.js?

 Node.js is fast, portable, and written in JavaScript but it

does not directly support common tasks such as handling
requests, serving files, and handling HTTP methods such as
GET and POST. So a better framework had to fill the gap!
And that’s how emerged Express js.

 Express.js is the fastest, unopinionated, and simplest web

framework for Node.js.

 It was flexibly created to build simple pages, multi-pages,

and hybrid apps with robust features for web and mobile
development.

 The framework is small with undisputed performances

benefits. It is the leading Node.js framework designed to
help you build web apps and APIs with powerful tooling
for HTTP servers.
Characteristics of Express JS?
 Source Framework – It is free to use the web framework
of Node.js language.
 Flexibility – It is a framework that does not follow a
standard structure. This implies that a developer can
integrate any compatible module in the series of his choice.
 Simplicity – From a developer’s perspective, learning and
even writing the code in Express is simple. This is so
because there are no exact rules or chronology to be
followed while writing the code for a web app being built
in Express JS.
 Minimalism – This framework only requires javascript,
which makes it easy, quick, and simple to code the app
into. Also, it uses less overhead in the core framework.
 Scalability – Since it is a lightweight framework, unlike
the express js alternatives, it is easy to leverage it to scale
an app built in this.
 Architecture – It follows a single-threaded event loop
architecture.
 Unopinionated – There is no proper or strict format to be
followed for writing the code or executing the elements.
Needs & Pillars of Express js?
 Time Efficient– Allows fast coding and even faster
deployment procedures.
 Money Efficient– Express JS is not a very high-
maintenance web backend framework.
 Asynchronous– The code running does not stop, it is a
continuous process.
 Extensive Uses– Can be used to build a single page, multi-
page, or hybrid web app.

Difference between Expressjs vs Nodejs?

Advantages of Express JS?

1. Shorter Development Duration

The name itself suggests Express is known for its speedy
development. It uses javascript, which further allows fast
coding. As a matter of fact, developers have reported that it is
easier and quicker to complete the backend programming in
Express js.

2. Express.js Error Handling

The Expressjs error handling process is designed in a way that it
is capable of detecting and solving bugs in both synchronous
and asynchronous codes.
3. Appropriate I/O Request Handling
Depending on the seasons, on-demand service app businesses
receive hundreds or sometimes even thousands of notifications
per day. If built in the Express backend framework, such apps
are at an advantage, as this framework is robust enough to
receive numerous Input and Output requests all at once.

4. Unopinionated Framework
Developers love the Express framework, for it does not have any
strict rules on the placement or order of code components.

5. Fast & Easy Installation

Usually, installing frameworks is a very tedious task. But,
installing Express.js is pretty easy. Additionally, it is also
simpler to set up, configure, and customize.

6. Ability to Create a REST Expressjs API Server

The main role of a REST API server is to access and use data.
And none other than a developer or an IT geek can better
understand the importance of creating a REST API server.
Express allows a developer user to create the same with utmost
security levels.
7. Easy Integration of Databases
Express is an easy-to-handle backend framework. One can
integrate any database — MongoDB, Redis, MySQL — you
name it, and its integration is possible.

What are ExpressJS Cons?

1. Middleware is a Philosophy- Developers who are not very
familiar with Express can have difficulty understanding and
executing the middleware functions in the coding.
2. No Structure – No Standardization-When more developers
join the team to work on different functionalities, there can be
little room for confusion. That is because Express does not
follow a standard structure for typing the code. So, every
developer builds the programs according to their understanding.

When to Use Express js? OR What is Express.js

Used For?
 Single-page apps
 Reusable apps
 Middleware Applications
 RESTful APIs
 Serve and access static files using a browser
  Enterprise web applications
 Ecommerce web application

Following big-name brands use Express js?

 IBM
 Accenture
 Uber
 eBay
 PayPal
 LinkedIn
 FoxSports

Postman?
Postman is one of the most popular software testing tools which
is used for API testing. With the help of this tool, developers can
easily create, test, share, and document APIs.
Postman is a standalone software testing API (Application
Programming Interface) platform to build, test, design, modify,
and document APIs. It is a simple Graphic User Interface for
sending and viewing HTTP requests and responses.
This tool has the ability to make various types of HTTP requests
like GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and convert the API to code for
languages like JavaScript and Python.

Why Postman is used?

1. Accessibility- One can use it anywhere after installing Postman into the device
by simply logging in to the account.
2. Use Collections-Postman allows users to build collections for their API-calls.
Every set can create multiple requests and subfolders. It will help to organize the
test suites.
3. Test development- To test checkpoints, verification of successful HTTP response
status shall be added to every API- calls.
4. Automation Testing-Tests can be performed in several repetitions or iterations
by using the Collection Runner or Newman, which saves time for repeated tests.
5. Creating Environments- The design of multiple environments results in less
replication of tests as one can use the same collection but for a different setting.
6. Debugging- To effectively debug the tests, the postman console helps to track
what data is being retrieved.
7. Collaboration- You can import or export collections and environments to
enhance the sharing of files. You may also use a direct connection to share the
collections.
8. Continuous integration-It can support continuous integration.
Environment Variables in Node.js?
Environment variables are predetermined values that are
typically used to provide the ability to configure a value in your
code from outside of your application.

 Install the dotenv library : npm install dotenv

 Create an .env file. ...
 Wherever you need to use environment variables (e.g. in
GitLab, in node js, in Heroku , …) you need to add your
environment variables
Routing in Express js?

 Routing refers to how an application’s endpoints (URIs)

respond to client requests.
 Routing refers to determining how an application
responds to a client request to a particular endpoint,
which is a URI (or path) and a specific HTTP request
method (GET, POST, and so on).
 Each route can have one or more handler functions,
which are executed when the route is matched.
 Route definition takes the following structure:
Pug templates?
 Pug is a high performance, robust, elegant, feature rich and
easy to understand template engine. Pug is implemented
using JavaScript for node.js and web browsers.

 Pug was formerly known as jade. However "jade" was a

registered trademark and as a result a rename was required.
After some brainstorming, the maintainers come up with
the name pug

 In order to understand the concepts properly, the

programmer must have some basic understanding of the
following: HTML , CSS , Javascript and node.js
 It provides the ability to write dynamic and reusable HTML
documents, it’s an open source HTML templating language
for Node.js (server-side JavaScript), totally free to use and
provides fast, easy, and fun HTML.

 Just like the programming language Python, Pug works

with indentation or white spaces, like this example:

 Here are no closing tags, everything is indented and you

scan the file much quicker. Also by using Pug we can
ensure that our HTML is well-formed and valid. This will
translate to:
 During the time Pug is compiling the .pug file to plain
HTML, the compiler throws build errors if the indention in
your file isn’t correct.

HTTP method of Express?

GET-The GET method requests a representation of the

specified resource. Requests using GET should only
retrieve data and should have no other effect.

POST- The POST method requests that the server accept

the data enclosed in the request as a new object/entity of
the resource identified by the URI.

PUT- The PUT method requests that the server accept the
data enclosed in the request as a modification to existing
object identified by the URI. If it does not exist then the
PUT method should create one.

DELETE -The DELETE method requests that the server

delete the specified resource.
 URL binding in Expressjs?

 In the previous chapter we define routes, but those routes

are static and fixed. In this chapter, we are going to learn
about URL parameters and routing in Express.js.

 To use the dynamic routes, we should provide different

types of routes. Using dynamic routes allows us to pass
parameters and process based on them.

 The URL module splits up a web address into readable

parts.
Middleware function in Express js?
 Middleware functions are functions that have access to the
request object (req), the response object (res), and the next
middleware function in the application’s request-response
cycle. The next middleware function is commonly denoted
by a variable named next.
 Middleware is executed during the window between when
a server receives a request and when it sends a response.
Middleware functions can perform the following tasks:
 Execute any code.
 Make changes to the request and the response objects.
 End the request-response cycle.
 Call the next middleware function in the stack.
If the current middleware function does not end the request-
response cycle, it must call next() to pass control to the next
middleware function. Otherwise, the request will be left
hanging.
An Express application can use the following types of middleware:

 Application-level middleware
 Router-level middleware
 Error-handling middleware
 Built-in middleware
 Third-party middleware
Serving Static files in Express?
 Express provides built-in middleware that allows us to
serve static files directly from the file system.

 Static files such as images, CSS files, and JavaScript files,

use the express.static built-in middleware function in
Express.
Express sessions?
 A website is based on the HTTP protocol. HTTP is a
stateless protocol which means at the end of every request
and response cycle, the client and the server forget about
each other.

 This is where the session comes in. A session will contain

some unique data about that client to allow the server to
keep track of the user’s state. In session-based
authentication, the user’s state is stored in the server’s
memory or a database.

 Express-session - an HTTP server-side framework used to

create and manage a session middleware.

Secret - a random unique string key used to authenticate a

session. It is stored in an environment variable and can’t be
exposed to the public.
Resave - takes a Boolean value. It enables the session to be
stored back to the session store, even if the session was never
modified during the request. This can result in a race situation in
case a client makes two parallel requests to the server. Thus
modification made on the session of the first request may be
overwritten when the second request ends. The default value is
true. However, this may change at some point, false is a better
alternative.
SaveUninitialized - this allows any uninitialized session to be
sent to the store. When a session is created but not modified, it is
referred to as uninitialized.
Cookie: { maxAge: oneDay } - this sets the cookie expiry time.
The browser will delete the cookie after the set duration elapses.

REST full API’s?

An API, or Application Programming Interface, can be simply
defined as an interaction between various software components.
When a user clicks a button to see a list of their Facebook
friends, likes on Instagram, or emails within an inbox, data is
generally being exchanged in one way or another through a web
service API.

There are a number of different types of web service APIs such as:
1. SOAP — Simple Object Access Protocol

2. XML-RPC — XML Format for Data Transfer

3. JSON-RPC — JSON Format for Data Transfer

4. REST — Representational State Transfer

Introduction to Mongoose for MongoDB?
Mongoose is an Object Data Modeling (ODM) library for
MongoDB and Node.js. It manages relationships between data,
provides schema validation, and is used to translate between
objects in code and the representation of those objects in
MongoDB.

Object Mapping between Node and MongoDB managed via Mongoose

MongoDB is a schema-less NoSQL document database. It

means you can store JSON documents in it, and the structure
of these documents can vary as it is not enforced like SQL
databases. This is one of the advantages of using NoSQL as it
speeds up application development and reduces the complexity
of deployments.
Below is an example of how data is stored in Mongo vs. SQL
Database

1. Database - To get started, the term database is used in

both. The term ‘ database ’ is defined as any collection of
electronic records that can be processed to produce useful
information.
2. Collections - ‘Collections’ in Mongo are equivalent to
tables in relational databases. They can hold multiple
JSON documents.
3. Documents - ‘Documents’ are equivalent to records or
rows of data in SQL. While a SQL row can have reference
to data in other tables, Mongo documents usually combine
that in a document.
4. Fields - ‘Fields’ or attributes are similar to columns in a
SQL table.