Express.js Installation

Installing Express.js in your project is straightforward. Express is available as an npm package, which means it can be easily added to your Node.js application. Below are the steps for installing Express and getting your first application up and running.

 

Installation Steps

Initialize a New Node.js Project
Before installing Express, you need to create a new Node.js project. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:

npm init -y

This will generate a package.json file, which will keep track of your project's dependencies.

Install Express
Once the Node.js project is initialized, you can install Express using npm. Run the following command:

npm install express --save

The --save flag ensures that Express is added to the dependencies section of the package.json file.

Create Your First Express Application
After installing Express, you can create a simple Express server. Create a new file named app.js (or another name of your choice), and add the following code:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
    res.send('Hello, Express!');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
    console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});

Run the Application
To start the server, run the following command in your terminal:

node app.js

This will start the Express server, and you will see the message Server is running on port 3000 in your terminal.

Access the Application
Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000. You should see the message Hello, Express!.

 

Summary

Installing Express in your project is a simple process. First, initialize a Node.js project, then install Express using npm. After that, you can create an Express application, run it, and access it through a browser. This setup forms the foundation for building web applications or APIs with Express.