Node.js is a server-side JavaScript runtime environment that is widely used for web development. In this tutorial, we will go through the basics of Node.js and how to get started with it.
- Installation – To get started with Node.js, you need to first install it on your computer. You can download the latest version from the official Node.js website and follow the installation instructions.
- Hello World – Once you have installed Node.js, create a new file and save it as “index.js”. Then, type in the following code and run it using the command “node index.js”:
javascriptCopy codeconsole.log("Hello World");
- Node Package Manager (NPM) – Node.js comes with a package manager called NPM. It allows you to install and manage packages and dependencies for your Node.js projects. To use NPM, you need to create a
package.json
file that contains information about your project and its dependencies. - Modules – Node.js has a modular architecture that allows you to split your code into smaller, reusable components. You can create your own modules or use pre-existing modules from the NPM repository. To use a module in your code, you need to
require
it and assign it to a variable. - Event-Driven I/O – Node.js is built on top of an event-driven I/O model that makes it fast and efficient. This means that Node.js runs as a single-threaded process and delegates I/O operations to the system. As a result, Node.js can handle multiple requests simultaneously without blocking.
- HTTP Server – One of the most popular uses for Node.js is building HTTP servers. To build an HTTP server, you can use the built-in
http
module. For example, here is a basic HTTP server that listens on port 8080 and returns “Hello World”:
javascriptCopy codevar http = require("http");
var server = http.createServer(function(request, response) {
response.writeHead(200, {"Content-Type": "text/plain"});
response.end("Hello World");
});
server.listen(8080);
These are the basic concepts of Node.js and how to get started with it. With regular practice and exploration, you can become a proficient Node.js developer.