This is an introductory workshop to Node.js and Express. You'll be building your own platform to write, publish and save blog posts (a basic content management system, or CMS).
Express is one of the most widely-used frameworks for Node.js. It simplifies base features of Node.js, making it easier and faster to build your application's backend. Learning Express gives you a great foundation for becoming a Node.js developer ✨
This workshop is divided into a number of steps. At the end of each segment, you should find a link to continue onto the next step. We suggest you follow along with the tutorial online, and write your code in a separate repository.
You will see code snippets throughout the walkthrough. Try to resist the urge to copy and paste - you will learn much more if you get into the habit of typing things out. If you want to test out small bits of code before adding them to your project, repl.it is a useful tool.
Throughout each step, we have bolded any jargon that you may or may not be familiar with. These terms are explained in the Keywords section at the bottom of each page. You'll also find a link to our cheatsheets under Useful Links.
The steps start off introducing you to how Node and Express work. In the last two steps, there are some mini challenges, requiring some problem-solving. But you'll definitely have all the knowledge you need to complete it!
Feel free to chat to a mentor, or collaborate with your neighbour whenever you need.
You will need Node.js installed. Download it from the Node.js website here.
Fork this repository to your own GitHub account. Instructions for doing this can be found here.
Then, clone your forked version of the repository to your desktop in the terminal. Instructions for doing this can be found here, or run the command below.
$ git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/express-workshop