In this tutorial, we’ll delve into the creation of REST APIs using Node.js, MongoDB, and Express 4 as part of the MEAN stack. REST APIs are a fundamental component of modern web applications, and understanding how to create them is a vital skill for developers. You can view a demo here and download the code here.
Setting Up Dependencies
We’ll start by installing the necessary dependencies for our application. We’ll use the following Node.js modules:
- Express 4: A fast, un-opinionated, minimalist web framework for Node.js.
- Body Parser: A middleware that parses incoming request bodies before your handlers.
- Mongoskin: A MongoDB driver for Node.js.
We’ll create a package.json file that lists these dependencies and use the npm install command to install them.
Initializing and Connecting to MongoDB
Next, we’ll initialize our application and connect to our MongoDB database. We’ll use the mongoskin module to connect to our MongoDB database.
Creating the HTTP Server
We’ll then create an HTTP server that listens on port 8080. We’ll use the http.listen() function to start our server.
Building the APIs
We’ll build several APIs for our application:
- Show List of Books API: This API fetches all books from the database and returns them as a JSON object.
- Add New Book API: This API adds a new book to the database. It requires the book name, author name, and price as input.
- Update Existing Book API: This API updates an existing book in the database. It requires the book ID, book name, author name, and price as input.
- Delete Existing Book API: This API deletes an existing book from the database. It requires the book name as input.
Each API is associated with a specific HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and a route URL. The APIs interact with the MongoDB database using the mongoskin module.
By following this tutorial, you’ve learned how to build REST APIs using Node.js, Express, and MongoDB as part of the MEAN stack. This is a valuable skill for creating dynamic and interactive web applications.
