11/27/24, 2:23 PM Node.js Interview Essentials: Building RESTful APIs with Node.

js and Express | by Profolio Hub - Freedium

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Node.js Interview Essentials: Building

RESTful APIs with Node.js and Express
RESTful APIs have become the backbone of modern web
applications, enabling communication between clients and servers
in a standardized way…
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androidstudio · September 22, 2024 (Updated: September 23, 2024) · Free: No

RESTful APIs have become the backbone of modern web

applications, enabling communication between clients and servers
in a standardized way. Node.js, with its non-blocking I/O and event-
driven architecture, is an excellent choice for building fast and
scalable RESTful APIs. When combined with Express, a minimal and
flexible Node.js web application framework, developers can quickly

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11/27/24, 2:23 PM Node.js Interview Essentials: Building RESTful APIs with Node.js and Express | by Profolio Hub - Freedium

Freediumcreate robust APIs that can handle various HTTP requests. In this
blog post, we will dive into building RESTful APIs using Node.js and
Express, covering essential concepts, best practices, and common
interview questions.

1. What is a RESTful API?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style that
uses standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to
perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on
resources. A RESTful API adheres to these principles, providing a
stateless and uniform interface for interacting with resources.

Key Concepts of RESTful APIs:

Stateless: Each request from the client to the server must contain
all the information needed to understand and process the
request.

Uniform Interface: Resources are accessed and manipulated

using standard HTTP methods.

Resource-Based: Everything is considered a resource, typically

identified by a URL.

Client-Server: The client and server are separate entities,

allowing them to evolve independently.

Cacheable: Responses should be explicitly marked as cacheable

or non-cacheable to improve performance.

2. Setting Up Node.js and Express

To build a RESTful API, the first step is to set up a Node.js project
with Express. Let's walk through the setup process.

Initialize a Node.js Project:

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11/27/24, 2:23 PM Node.js Interview Essentials: Building RESTful APIs with Node.js and Express | by Profolio Hub - Freedium

FreediumFirst, create a new directory for your project and navigate into it:

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mkdir rest-api-example
cd rest-api-example

Next, initialize a new Node.js project:

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npm init -y

This command will create a package.json file with default settings.

Install Express:
Now, install Express and other necessary packages:

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npm install express body-parser

Express: A minimal and flexible Node.js web application

framework.

Body-parser: A middleware to parse incoming request bodies in

a middleware before your handlers, available under the
req.body property.

Creating a Simple RESTful API with Express

Let's create a basic RESTful API to manage a collection of "books."
We will implement endpoints to perform CRUD operations.

Setting Up the Express Server:

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11/27/24, 2:23 PM Node.js Interview Essentials: Building RESTful APIs with Node.js and Express | by Profolio Hub - Freedium

FreediumCreate an index.js file and set up a simple Express server:

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// index.js
const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();

const port = 3000;

// Middleware
app.use(bodyParser.json());

// Start the server

app.listen(port, () => {
console.log(`Server is running on http://localhost:${port}`);
});

In this setup:

We import express and body-parser .

We create an Express app and set up the middleware to parse

JSON request bodies.

The server listens on port 3000.

Defining the Data Structure:

For simplicity, we'll use an in-memory array to store our "books"
collection. In a real-world application, you would use a database.

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let books = [
{ id: 1, title: '1984', author: 'George Orwell' },
{ id: 2, title: 'To Kill a Mockingbird', author: 'Harper Lee'
];

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Freedium
Implementing CRUD Operations:
Now, let's implement the RESTful API endpoints.

GET /books: Retrieve All Books

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app.get('/books', (req, res) => {

res.json(books);
});

GET /books/:id: Retrieve a Single Book by ID

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app.get('/books/:id', (req, res) => {

const book = books.find(b => b.id === parseInt(req.params.id))
if (!book) return res.status(404).send('Book not found');
res.json(book);
});

POST /books: Create a New Book

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app.post('/books', (req, res) => {

const newBook = {
id: books.length + 1,
title: req.body.title,
author: req.body.author,
};
books.push(newBook);
res.status(201).json(newBook);
});

PUT /books/:id: Update an Existing Book

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Freedium Copy

app.put('/books/:id', (req, res) => {

const book = books.find(b => b.id === parseInt(req.params.id))
if (!book) return res.status(404).send('Book not found');

book.title = req.body.title;
book.author = req.body.author;
res.json(book);
});

DELETE /books/:id: Delete a Book

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app.delete('/books/:id', (req, res) => {

const bookIndex = books.findIndex(b => b.id === parseInt(req.p
if (bookIndex === -1) return res.status(404).send('Book not fo

const deletedBook = books.splice(bookIndex, 1);

res.json(deletedBook);
});

Testing the RESTful API

You can test the API using tools like Postman or cURL.

GET /books: Fetch all books.

GET /books/:id: Fetch a specific book by its ID.

POST /books: Create a new book by sending a JSON body with

title and author .

PUT /books/:id: Update an existing book by sending a JSON body

with updated title and author .

DELETE /books/:id: Delete a book by its ID.

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FreediumExample of a cURL request to create a new book:

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curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/books -H "Content-Type: applica

Error Handling and Validation

Proper error handling and validation are crucial for building robust
APIs. Let's add some basic validation and error handling to our API.

Validating Book Data:

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app.post('/books', (req, res) => {

if (!req.body.title || !req.body.author) {
return res.status(400).send('Title and author are required
}

const newBook = {
id: books.length + 1,
title: req.body.title,
author: req.body.author,
};
books.push(newBook);
res.status(201).json(newBook);
});

In this example, we check if the title and author fields are present
in the request body. If not, we return a 400 Bad Request status with
an appropriate error message.

Centralized Error Handling Middleware:

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Freedium app.use((err, req, res, next) => {

console.error(err.stack);
res.status(500).send('Something went wrong!');
});

This middleware catches any unhandled errors and sends a generic

500 Internal Server Error response.

Best Practices for Building RESTful APIs

Use Proper HTTP Status Codes:

Always use appropriate HTTP status codes (e.g., 200 for success,
404 for not found, 400 for bad requests) to indicate the outcome
of API requests.

Follow RESTful Naming Conventions:

Use plural nouns for resource names (e.g., /books , /users ).

Use standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) for

operations on resources.

Implement Pagination and Filtering:

For large datasets, implement pagination, filtering, and sorting

to avoid sending too much data in a single response.

Secure Your API:

Implement authentication and authorization (e.g., using JWT).

Validate and sanitize inputs to prevent security vulnerabilities

like SQL injection.

Use Versioning:

Implement API versioning (e.g., /api/v1/books ) to manage

changes to your API without breaking existing clients.
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FreediumDocument Your API:

Use tools like Swagger or Postman to document your API

endpoints, making it easier for other developers to understand
and use your API.

Key Takeaways:
RESTful APIs: Use standard HTTP methods to perform CRUD
operations on resources.

Express: A flexible framework for building RESTful APIs in

Node.js.

CRUD Operations: Implement CRUD operations using Express to

manage resources.

Error Handling: Validate inputs and handle errors gracefully to

build robust APIs.

Best Practices: Follow RESTful conventions, secure your API,

and document your endpoints.

With these skills, you're well-equipped to build and maintain

RESTful APIs in Node.js, making your applications more scalable,
maintainable, and secure.

Conclusion
Building RESTful APIs with Node.js and Express is a powerful way to
create scalable and maintainable server-side applications. By
understanding the core principles of REST, setting up an Express
server, and implementing CRUD operations, you can quickly create
APIs that adhere to best practices and meet the needs of modern
web applications.

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11/27/24, 2:23 PM Node.js Interview Essentials: Building RESTful APIs with Node.js and Express | by Profolio Hub - Freedium

FreediumWhether you're preparing for a Node.js interview or building your

own APIs, mastering these concepts will give you a strong
foundation for success. In the next post, we will explore error
handling and debugging in Node.js, ensuring that your applications
are not only functional but also resilient and maintainable.

#nodejs #backend-development #node-js-development #node-js-tutorial

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