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Node.js Tutorial – Learn Node.js for Backend Development (2025)

Start building fast, scalable, and real-time applications using Node.js. This beginner-friendly guide walks you through the essentials.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is a cross-platform, open-source JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 engine. It allows JavaScript to run outside the browser, enabling backend development, RESTful APIs, and real-time apps.

Why Use Node.js?

Node.js is fast and perfect for building I/O-heavy and real-time applications.

Key Features:

Event-driven, non-blocking architecture
High performance for concurrent tasks
npm ecosystem with 1M+ packages
Single language for full-stack (JavaScript)
Excellent for real-time apps (e.g., chat, games)

Installing Node.js

Download from the official Node.js website.

Verify Installation:

node -v
npm -v

Node.js includes npm for managing packages and libraries.

Creating Your First Node.js App

Create a file: app.js

console.log("Hello, Node.js!");

Run:

node app.js

You’ve just executed your first Node.js script!

Creating a Simple Web Server

const http = require('http');

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  res.end("Hello from Node.js server!");
});

server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log("Server is running on http://localhost:3000");
});

This basic HTTP server listens on port 3000.

Using npm and Managing Packages

Initialize Project:

npm init -y

Install Express.js:

npm install express

Express is the most popular web framework for Node.js.

Creating a REST API with Express.js

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

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Welcome to the Node.js API!');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('API running at http://localhost:3000');
});

Express simplifies routes and request handling.

Working with Middleware

Middleware functions execute before final route handling.

app.use((req, res, next) => {
  console.log('Request URL:', req.url);
  next();
});

Use middleware for logging, auth, validation, etc.

Handling JSON Data

Enable JSON body parsing with Express:

app.use(express.json());

app.post('/user', (req, res) => {
  const user = req.body;
  res.send(`User ${user.name} added.`);
});

Now your server can accept and process JSON input.

File System Operations

Use Node’s fs module:

const fs = require('fs');

fs.writeFileSync('message.txt', 'Hello Node.js!');
const data = fs.readFileSync('message.txt', 'utf8');
console.log(data);

Reads and writes to local files synchronously.

Working with Asynchronous Code

Use async/await for cleaner async handling:

const getData = async () => {
  const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com');
  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(data);
};

Improves readability and async control flow.

Connecting to a Database (MongoDB)

Use Mongoose ODM to interact with MongoDB.

npm install mongoose

const mongoose = require('mongoose');

mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost:27017/testdb')
  .then(() => console.log("Connected to MongoDB"))
  .catch(err => console.log("Connection failed", err));

Define schemas and models for structured data.

Deploying a Node.js App

Deploy using:

Heroku
Vercel
Render
AWS Lambda / EC2
Docker (with pm2 process manager)

npm install pm2 -g
pm2 start app.js

Popular Node.js Tools and Libraries

Express.js – Web framework
Mongoose – MongoDB object modeling
Socket.io – Real-time communication
dotenv – Environment variable management
Jest – Testing framework

Top Learning Resources

Summary – Recap & Next Steps

Node.js empowers developers to build lightning-fast, real-time applications using just JavaScript. From creating RESTful APIs with Express to connecting databases with Mongoose, it’s the go-to choice for modern backend systems.

Key Takeaways: