Getting Started with Node.js

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.

1. 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.
2. 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");

3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.