Getting Started With Node.js Is Simpler Than You Think

Building the server side of an application, there are different programming languages to use, and one of them is JavaScript. Originally, JavaScript was built to focus on the client side of web applications. Later on, JavaScript became useful in server-side development. Some companies, to this day, use JavaScript for their server-side development. Introduction Node.js is an open-source JavaScript runtime that uses the V8 JavaScript engine for developing server-side and networking apps/APIs. It allows the use of JavaScript to write code outside the browser like other server-side programming languages like Python, C#, PHP, etc. In this article, we will cover how to set up node.js to kickstart your project. Assuming you are a backend developer tasked with a project to log a message— “Hello World”. This is where this tutorial will come in handy. Let's get started! Prerequisite Install VS Code Editor Download Node.js from nodejs.org and install the latest LTS version**.** Fundamentals of JavaScript Table of Content Basic Setup Initialize npm Install Dependencies Managing Dependencies in Node.js Begin Project Conclusion Basic Setup To check if node.js is installed on your computer; Open the command line terminal on your computer. To do this on Windows, use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + R and type cmd. On Mac, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal or use Spotlight search (Command + Space) and type "Terminal". On Linux, press Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard. Next, type node -v or node - - version. This will show you the version of Node.js that is installed on your computer. Here is an example: node -v Here is the output: v23.6.0 This tells you that version 23.6.0 of node.js is successfully installed on your computer. Create A New Folder Before working on your project, you need a folder. This is where your project is stored locally on your computer. It helps to keep your files organized when you are working on different projects. You have installed node.js. The next is creating a folder. Open the command line terminal Type the prompt mkdir Name the folder with a name you prefer and click Enter Example mkdir my-project In this example, you are using the prompt mkdir to tell your computer that you want to create a folder. And, you followed it with the name you chose to name the folder— test-project Note: You may name the folder any name you prefer. After clicking the Enter key, your folder is created and stored locally on your computer. Navigate To The Folder After creating a new folder, it doesn't end there. You have to tell your computer to open the folder. To do this**;** Type the prompt cd Type the name of your new folder (the one you created). Click Enter Example cd my-project This shows the file path and the new folder is open and ready for use. Here is the detailed code: mkdir my-project cd my-project The same method applies to Mac and Linux. Initialize npm npm, also known as Node Package Manager, is referred to as a library or tool that comes with Node.js. If you don't have node.js installed on your computer, you won't have access to it. Npm is used for Installing, updating, and removing packages (also known as dependencies) from your project. These packages could be frameworks (express.js) and other tools like nodemon, dotenv, etc. needed for a specific project. It simplifies adding functionality to your project without writing everything from scratch. You have installed node.js and created a folder. The next will be initializing your project; Open the command line terminal Initialize npm by typing npm init or npm init -y This is the prompt used to start npm in your project manually or automatically. Note: You must do this every time you build a new project. Start npm Manually To start npm manually in your project, you do this; Open your command line terminal Type in npm init Click the Enter key to start it After this, you are directed to respond to a few default questions and follow subsequent steps; Package name: Type any name you prefer, e.g. my-project. And, click Enter Version: This will show you the version of the npm installed. No editing is required for this part, click Enter to go to the next prompt. Description: Write a short description of your project. This is optional. For example, "My Hello World Project" and click Enter Entry Point: This indicates that the index.js file is the main file of your project. No editing is required, click Enter Test Command: This is optional. If you don't have a test command, leave it empty and click Enter to move to the next prompt Git Repository: Provide your GitHub repository URL. If you don't have one yet, leave it empty and click Enter to move to the next prompt Keywords: This part is optional. If you don’t have keywords, leave it empty and move to the next. Author: Type your name License: Type a license if you have one. If you don't, you can skip it by clicking the Enter key. After setting up the npm, a preview is shown to you, and you will be asked, "Is this OK?" Type YES and that's it. After typing “yes”, a package.json file is created in the test-project folder, and you can view it in a code editor. Start npm Automatically If you don't want to go through setting up npm manually, you can do it automatically by entering npm init -y in the command line terminal, and it creates a package.json file. The only difference is, that you are not setting up the default settings yourself like you did in the manual method, and you are adding "-y" with the npm init this time. You will get the same results for both methods. Note: You are allowed to edit the package.json file after it's created. Go to the file on your code editor and make your edits. Install Dependencies Every dependency (package) you need for a project is always obtained from the npm. There are various types of dependencies: Direct Dependencies Transitive (Indirect) Dependencies Development (dev) Dependencies Peer Dependencies Optional Dependencies Bundle Dependencies System Dependencies Direct Dependencies These are explicitly installed and used in your project. Example: If your project uses Express.js, then Express is a direct dependency. npm install express Transitive (Indirect) Dependencies These are dependencies of your dependencies. Example: If your project depends on Express.js, and Express internally depends on body-parser, then body-parser is a transitive dependency. Development (Dev) Dependencies These are only needed for development and testing, but not in production. Example: Libraries like Nodemon, Jest, or linters like ESLint. In Node.js, these are installed using: npm install --save-dev nodemon jest eslint Example package.json snippet after installation "devDependencies": { "jest": "^29.0.0", "eslint": "^8.0.0", "nodemon": "^3.0.0" } Peer Dependencies These are dependencies that your project requires but expects the user to install. Example: Some middleware packages (e.g., express-session, cors) expect express to be installed separately. Defined in package.json like this: "peerDependencies": { "express": "^4.0.0" } Optional Dependencies Dependencies that are not required but can be installed if available. Example: A project might support both SQLite and PostgreSQL, but only one is necessary. In package.json, they look like: "optionalDependencies": { "sqlite3": "^5.0.2" } Bundle Dependencies Dependencies bundled with your project rather than installed separately. It is used when you want to include a dependency inside a package. System Dependencies These are external software required for your project, such as a database or runtime environment. Example: Node.js, MongoDB, or PostgreSQL are system dependencies. Managing Dependencies in Node.js Install dependencies npm install Example, npm install express Install dev dependencies npm install --save-dev Example, npm install –save-dev nodemon View installed dependencies npm list //it shows you the list of packages you installed Remove a dependency npm uninstall Example, npm uninstall eslint Production Dependencies These are essential packages required for your Node.js application to run in a live environment. These dependencies provide core functionalities such as handling requests, connecting to databases, and managing authentication. They are installed normally with: npm install express mongoose dotenv axios And, they are listed in the "dependencies" section of package.json: "dependencies": { "express": "^4.18.2", "mongoose": "^7.0.0", "jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.0", "dotenv": "^16.0.0" } Note: Only install the necessary dependency you need for your project to reduce app size and improve performance. Begin Project You have installed node.js, created a folder, and set up npm. It's time to log your first "Hello World" in a code editor. To do this; Open the command line terminal Type "code" followed by a dot. That is code . Click Enter code . This takes you to the code editor (VS Code editor) and you will see the "test-project" folder you created and the package.json file. The package.json file shows you the npm default settings you initially installed into your project. Write Your Hello World Before you start, you need a file to write your code. For now, you only have the package.json file, which was created after setting up your npm. If you need any framework or tool for your project, it will be installed in the package.json file. Your code is not written in this file, you have to create another file for writing your code. During the default settings, the entry point indicated a main file called index.js. This is the main file of your project and this is where all your code should be written. It should not be written outside this file unless your code won't work. To open the main file as indicated in your package.json file, you will create a file called "index.js" first (Ensure it matches the name of the main file in the package.json file). To do this; Click on the New file icon next to your project name (test-project) Type index.js Click Enter And the index.js file is created. Before you proceed in writing your code, you have to set up a "start" script in the package.json file. This is important because whenever you write a code in the main file (index.js), the runtime (node.js) needs to be initiated to process your code. Without this, your code won't work. To do this; Open the package.json file In the Script section of the file, where you see "test: echo/Error: no test specified && exit 1" Place a comma after it and click Enter. It will take you to the next line In the new line, Type "start": "index.js" Save it— use Ctrl S (Windows) or command S (Mac) or click on File at the navigation bar at the top of your VS Code editor and click Save The "start" script allows you to use the prompt "node index.js" in your terminal whenever you want to process your code. For example, console.log("Hello World") To do this, Open the main file index.js Type console.log("Hello World") Save it— use Ctrl S (Windows) or command S (Mac) or click on File at the top of your VS Code editor and click Save. After saving your file, right-click on the index.js file located at the left-hand side of the VS Code editor and click on Open integrated terminal— this opens the terminal in the main file index.js In the terminal, type node index.js and Click Enter. This will process your code in the terminal and show that your code is successfully run by node.js. Conclusion In this guide, you get a beginner-friendly and in-depth overview of how to set up your node.js projects. We discussed important steps like setting up npm and installing dependencies. Remember, you will become a better backend developer when you keep practicing. To learn node.js for building projects, check out the node.js documentation. I hope the examples provided helped you understand how to set up node.js to use for your new projects. Building the server side of an application, there are different programming languages to use, and one of them is JavaScript . Originally, JavaScript was built to focus on the client side of web applications. Later on, JavaScript became useful in server-side development. Some companies, to this day, use JavaScript for their server-side development. JavaScript Introduction Node.js is an open-source JavaScript runtime that uses the V8 JavaScript engine for developing server-side and networking apps/APIs. It allows the use of JavaScript to write code outside the browser like other server-side programming languages like Python, C#, PHP, etc. In this article, we will cover how to set up node.js to kickstart your project. Assuming you are a backend developer tasked with a project to log a message— “Hello World”. This is where this tutorial will come in handy. Let's get started! Prerequisite Install VS Code Editor Download Node.js from nodejs.org and install the latest LTS version**.** Fundamentals of JavaScript Install VS Code Editor VS Code Editor VS Code Editor Download Node.js from nodejs.org and install the latest LTS version**.** nodejs.org nodejs.org Fundamentals of JavaScript Table of Content Basic Setup Initialize npm Install Dependencies Managing Dependencies in Node.js Begin Project Conclusion Basic Setup Initialize npm Install Dependencies Managing Dependencies in Node.js Begin Project Conclusion Basic Setup To check if node.js is installed on your computer; Open the command line terminal on your computer. To do this on Windows, use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + R and type cmd. On Mac, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal or use Spotlight search (Command + Space) and type "Terminal". On Linux, press Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard. Next, type node -v or node - - version. This will show you the version of Node.js that is installed on your computer. Open the command line terminal on your computer. To do this on Windows, use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + R and type cmd . On Mac, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal or use Spotlight search (Command + Space) and type "Terminal" . On Linux, press Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard. Windows key + R cmd Applications > Utilities > Terminal or use Spotlight search (Command + Space) and type "Terminal" Ctrl + Alt + T Next, type node -v or node - - version . This will show you the version of Node.js that is installed on your computer. node -v node - - version Here is an example: node -v node -v Here is the output: v23.6.0 v23.6.0 This tells you that version 23.6.0 of node.js is successfully installed on your computer. Create A New Folder Before working on your project, you need a folder . This is where your project is stored locally on your computer. It helps to keep your files organized when you are working on different projects. You have installed node.js. The next is creating a folder. folder Open the command line terminal Type the prompt mkdir Name the folder with a name you prefer and click Enter Open the command line terminal Type the prompt mkdir mkdir Name the folder with a name you prefer and click Enter Enter Example mkdir my-project mkdir my-project In this example, you are using the prompt mkdir to tell your computer that you want to create a folder. And, you followed it with the name you chose to name the folder— test-project mkdir test-project Note: You may name the folder any name you prefer. After clicking the Enter key, your folder is created and stored locally on your computer. Enter Navigate To The Folder After creating a new folder, it doesn't end there. You have to tell your computer to open the folder. To do this**;** Type the prompt cd Type the name of your new folder (the one you created). Click Enter Type the prompt cd cd Type the name of your new folder (the one you created). Click Enter Enter Example cd my-project cd my-project This shows the file path and the new folder is open and ready for use. Here is the detailed code: mkdir my-project cd my-project mkdir my-project cd my-project The same method applies to Mac and Linux. Initialize npm npm, also known as Node Package Manager, is referred to as a library or tool that comes with Node.js. If you don't have node.js installed on your computer, you won't have access to it. Npm is used for Installing, updating, and removing packages (also known as dependencies) from your project. These packages could be frameworks (express.js) and other tools like nodemon , dotenv , etc. needed for a specific project. nodemon dotenv It simplifies adding functionality to your project without writing everything from scratch. You have installed node.js and created a folder. The next will be initializing your project; Open the command line terminal Initialize npm by typing npm init or npm init -y Open the command line terminal Initialize npm by typing npm init or npm init -y npm init npm init -y This is the prompt used to start npm in your project manually or automatically. Note: You must do this every time you build a new project. Note: You must do this every time you build a new project. Start npm Manually To start npm manually in your project, you do this; Open your command line terminal Type in npm init Click the Enter key to start it Open your command line terminal Type in npm init npm init Click the Enter key to start it Enter After this, you are directed to respond to a few default questions and follow subsequent steps; Package name: Type any name you prefer, e.g. my-project. And, click Enter Version: This will show you the version of the npm installed. No editing is required for this part, click Enter to go to the next prompt. Description: Write a short description of your project. This is optional. For example, "My Hello World Project" and click Enter Entry Point: This indicates that the index.js file is the main file of your project. No editing is required, click Enter Test Command: This is optional. If you don't have a test command, leave it empty and click Enter to move to the next prompt Git Repository: Provide your GitHub repository URL. If you don't have one yet, leave it empty and click Enter to move to the next prompt Keywords: This part is optional. If you don’t have keywords, leave it empty and move to the next. Author: Type your name License: Type a license if you have one. If you don't, you can skip it by clicking the Enter key. Package name : Type any name you prefer, e.g. my-project . And, click Enter Package name my-project Version : This will show you the version of the npm installed. No editing is required for this part, click Enter to go to the next prompt. Version Description : Write a short description of your project. This is optional. For example, "My Hello World Project" and click Enter Description Entry Point : This indicates that the index.js file is the main file of your project. No editing is required, click Enter Entry Point index.js Test Command : This is optional. If you don't have a test command, leave it empty and click Enter to move to the next prompt Test Command Git Repository : Provide your GitHub repository URL. If you don't have one yet, leave it empty and click Enter to move to the next prompt Git Repository Keywords : This part is optional. If you don’t have keywords, leave it empty and move to the next. Keywords Author : Type your name Author License : Type a license if you have one. If you don't, you can skip it by clicking the Enter key. License After setting up the npm, a preview is shown to you, and you will be asked, "Is this OK?" Type YES and that's it. After typing “yes”, a package.json file is created in the test-project folder, and you can view it in a code editor. package.json test-project Start npm Automatically If you don't want to go through setting up npm manually, you can do it automatically by entering npm init -y in the command line terminal, and it creates a package.json file. npm init -y package.json The only difference is, that you are not setting up the default settings yourself like you did in the manual method, and you are adding "-y" with the npm init this time. You will get the same results for both methods. npm init Note: You are allowed to edit the package.json file after it's created. Go to the file on your code editor and make your edits. Note: You are allowed to edit the package.json file after it's created. Go to the file on your code editor and make your edits. Install Dependencies Every dependency (package) you need for a project is always obtained from the npm. There are various types of dependencies: Direct Dependencies Transitive (Indirect) Dependencies Development (dev) Dependencies Peer Dependencies Optional Dependencies Bundle Dependencies System Dependencies Direct Dependencies Transitive (Indirect) Dependencies Development (dev) Dependencies Peer Dependencies Optional Dependencies Bundle Dependencies System Dependencies Direct Dependencies These are explicitly installed and used in your project. Example: If your project uses Express.js, then Express is a direct dependency. npm install express npm install express Transitive (Indirect) Dependencies Transitive (Indirect) Dependencies These are dependencies of your dependencies. Example: If your project depends on Express.js, and Express internally depends on body-parser, then body-parser is a transitive dependency. Development (Dev) Dependencies Development (Dev) Dependencies These are only needed for development and testing, but not in production. Example: Libraries like Nodemon, Jest, or linters like ESLint. In Node.js, these are installed using: npm install --save-dev nodemon jest eslint npm install --save-dev nodemon jest eslint Example package.json snippet after installation package.json "devDependencies": { "jest": "^29.0.0", "eslint": "^8.0.0", "nodemon": "^3.0.0" } "devDependencies": { "jest": "^29.0.0", "eslint": "^8.0.0", "nodemon": "^3.0.0" } Peer Dependencies Peer Dependencies These are dependencies that your project requires but expects the user to install. Example: Some middleware packages (e.g., express-session, cors) expect express to be installed separately. Defined in package.json like this: "peerDependencies": { "express": "^4.0.0" } "peerDependencies": { "express": "^4.0.0" } Optional Dependencies Optional Dependencies Dependencies that are not required but can be installed if available. Example: A project might support both SQLite and PostgreSQL, but only one is necessary. In package.json, they look like: "optionalDependencies": { "sqlite3": "^5.0.2" } "optionalDependencies": { "sqlite3": "^5.0.2" } Bundle Dependencies Bundle Dependencies Dependencies bundled with your project rather than installed separately. It is used when you want to include a dependency inside a package. System Dependencies These are external software required for your project, such as a database or runtime environment. Example: Node.js, MongoDB, or PostgreSQL are system dependencies. Managing Dependencies in Node.js Install dependencies Install dependencies npm install npm install Example, npm install express npm install express Install dev dependencies Install dev dependencies npm install --save-dev npm install --save-dev Example, npm install –save-dev nodemon npm install –save-dev nodemon View installed dependencies View installed dependencies npm list //it shows you the list of packages you installed npm list //it shows you the list of packages you installed Remove a dependency Remove a dependency npm uninstall npm uninstall Example, npm uninstall eslint npm uninstall eslint Production Dependencies These are essential packages required for your Node.js application to run in a live environment. These dependencies provide core functionalities such as handling requests, connecting to databases, and managing authentication. They are installed normally with: npm install express mongoose dotenv axios npm install express mongoose dotenv axios And, they are listed in the "dependencies" section of package.json: "dependencies": { "express": "^4.18.2", "mongoose": "^7.0.0", "jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.0", "dotenv": "^16.0.0" } "dependencies": { "express": "^4.18.2", "mongoose": "^7.0.0", "jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.0", "dotenv": "^16.0.0" } Note: Only install the necessary dependency you need for your project to reduce app size and improve performance. Note: Only install the necessary dependency you need for your project to reduce app size and improve performance. Note: Only install the necessary dependency you need for your project to reduce app size and improve performance. Begin Project You have installed node.js, created a folder, and set up npm. It's time to log your first "Hello World" in a code editor. To do this; Open the command line terminal Type "code" followed by a dot. That is code . Click Enter Open the command line terminal Type "code" followed by a dot. That is code . code . Click Enter code . code . This takes you to the code editor (VS Code editor) and you will see the "test-project" folder you created and the package.json file. The package.json file shows you the npm default settings you initially installed into your project. package.json Write Your Hello World Before you start, you need a file to write your code. For now, you only have the package.json file, which was created after setting up your npm. If you need any framework or tool for your project, it will be installed in the package.json file. Your code is not written in this file, you have to create another file for writing your code. During the default settings, the entry point indicated a main file called index.js . This is the main file of your project and this is where all your code should be written. It should not be written outside this file unless your code won't work. entry point index.js To open the main file as indicated in your package.json file, you will create a file called "index.js" first (Ensure it matches the name of the main file in the package.json file). To do this; Click on the New file icon next to your project name (test-project) Type index.js Click Enter Click on the New file icon next to your project name (test-project) Type index.js index.js Click Enter Enter And the index.js file is created. Before you proceed in writing your code, you have to set up a "start" script in the package.json file. This is important because whenever you write a code in the main file (index.js), the runtime (node.js) needs to be initiated to process your code. Without this, your code won't work. To do this; Open the package.json file In the Script section of the file, where you see "test: echo/Error: no test specified && exit 1" Place a comma after it and click Enter. It will take you to the next line In the new line, Type "start": "index.js" Save it— use Ctrl S (Windows) or command S (Mac) or click on File at the navigation bar at the top of your VS Code editor and click Save Open the package.json file package.json In the Script section of the file, where you see "test: echo/Error: no test specified && exit 1" "test: echo/Error: no test specified && exit 1" Place a comma after it and click Enter . It will take you to the next line comma Enter In the new line, Type "start": "index.js" "start": "index.js" Save it— use Ctrl S (Windows) or command S (Mac) or click on File at the navigation bar at the top of your VS Code editor and click Save Ctrl S (Windows) command S (Mac) File Save The "start" script allows you to use the prompt "node index.js" in your terminal whenever you want to process your code. For example, console.log("Hello World") console.log("Hello World") To do this, Open the main file index.js Type console.log("Hello World") Save it— use Ctrl S (Windows) or command S (Mac) or click on File at the top of your VS Code editor and click Save. After saving your file, right-click on the index.js file located at the left-hand side of the VS Code editor and click on Open integrated terminal— this opens the terminal in the main file index.js In the terminal, type node index.js and Click Enter. Open the main file index.js index.js Type console.log("Hello World") console.log("Hello World") Save it— use Ctrl S (Windows) or command S (Mac) or click on File at the top of your VS Code editor and click Save . Ctrl S (Windows) command S (Mac) File Save After saving your file, right-click on the index.js file located at the left-hand side of the VS Code editor and click on Open integrated terminal — this opens the terminal in the main file index.js index.js Open integrated terminal index.js In the terminal, type node index.js and Click Enter . node index.js Enter This will process your code in the terminal and show that your code is successfully run by node.js. Conclusion In this guide, you get a beginner-friendly and in-depth overview of how to set up your node.js projects. We discussed important steps like setting up npm and installing dependencies. Remember, you will become a better backend developer when you keep practicing. To learn node.js for building projects, check out the node.js documentation. check out the node.js documentation. check out the node.js documentation. I hope the examples provided helped you understand how to set up node.js to use for your new projects.