Beginning API Development with Node.js

Description

This course offers a deep but gentle dive into Node.js. First, by starting off with the basic building blocks of the modern JavaScript language, which are necessary for students to have a good grasp of Node.js, before delving into the fundamentals of Node.js.

Most courses quickly dive into Node.js forgetting that, at the end of the day, Node.js is still JavaScript. This can end up being a little uncomfortable for JavaScript newbies, since we can't build a solid house on a shaky foundation.

The course therefore begins with a quick introduction to the modern JavaScript language (ES6+). We will then look into Node's asynchronous programming model and examine Node's module system, including built-in modules and application modularization, as well as the NPM third-party module registry. We will skip a number of topics, which we will recommend for further reading, and will finish off by working on a simple web application API using the Hapi.js and Knex.js frameworks.

Overview

This is a 1-day course packaged with the perfect balance of theory and hands-on activities that will help you learn Node.js from scratch.

This course complies with instructional designing principles for all the 3 lessons. This will ensure that you repeat and reinforce your gained knowledge at every step. Each and every minute spent during this 1-day course will incrementally take you to a next level.

Scope

If you are interested in gaining a good grasp of Node.js in a systematic and hands-on way by working through a real-world project, then this course is for you.

Here are the important topics that this course will cover:

Quickly get to grips with Node.js and its module system
Gain an understanding of asynchronous programming in Node.js
Develop scalable and high-performing APIs using Hapi.js and Knex.js
Write unit tests for your API to ensure reliability and maintainability
Complete a variety of hands-on exercises and activities to broaden your understanding of the concepts covered in this courseware
Dive into the Capstone project by building an API for a legacy application

Target Audience:

This course is targeted towards developers looking to build a career as a Node.js developer.

Course-specific Technical Requirements

Hardware

For successful completion of this course, students will require computer systems with the following:

Processor: Pentium 4 (or equivalent)
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Hard disk: 10 GB
Operating System: Windows (8 or higher)
Projector
Internet connection

Software

For this course, we will use the following software:

Visual Studio Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/)
Node.js (8.9.1): https://nodejs.org/en/
MySQL Workbench 6.3: https://www.mysql.com/products/workbench/
MySQL: https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/

Course duration

1 Day

Course outline

Lesson 1: Introduction to Node.js

The Basics of Node.js
The Module System
Asynchronous Programming with Node.js

Lesson 2: Building the API: Part 1

Building a Basic HTTP Server
Setting up Hapi.js
Understanding Requests

Lesson 3: Building the API: Part 2

Working with the DB Using Knex.js
Authenticating Your API with JWT
Testing Your API with Lab