Beginning API Development with Node.js

Learn everything you need to get up and running with cutting-edge API development using JavaScript and Node.js; ideal for data-intensive real-time applications that run across multiple platforms.

Key Features

• Build web APIs from start to finish using JavaScript across the development stack
• Explore advanced concepts such as authentication with JWT, and running tests against your APIs
• Implement over 20 practical activities and exercises across 9 topics to reinforce your learning

Book Description

Using the same framework to build both server and client-side applications saves you time and money. This book teaches you how you can use JavaScript and Node.js to build highly scalable APIs that work well with lightweight cross-platform client applications. It begins with the basics of Node.js in the context of backend development, and quickly leads you through the creation of an example client that pairs up with a fully authenticated API implementation. By the end of the book, you’ll have the skills and exposure required to get hands-on with your own API development project.

What you will learn

• Understand how Node.js works, its trends, and where it is being used now
• Learn about application modularization and built-in Node.js modules
• Use the npm third-party module registry to extend your application
• Gain an understanding of asynchronous programming with Node.js
• Develop scalable and high-performing APIs using hapi.js and Knex.js
• Write unit tests for your APIs to ensure reliability and maintainability

Who this book is for

This book is ideal for developers who already understand JavaScript and are looking for a quick no-frills introduction to API development with Node.js. Though prior experience with other server-side technologies such as Python, PHP, ASP.NET, Ruby will help, it’s not essential to have a background in backend development before getting started.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Node.js
2. Building the API – Part 1
3. Building the API – Part 2

Anthony Nandaa is a senior software developer with more than 7 years of professional programming experience. He began his career with Pascal and Visual Basic 6. He has worked with multiple languages, such as Python, PHP, Go, and full-stack JavaScript. In his current role, he leads a team of engineers, who develop frontend applications with Node.js and React. He considers himself a lifelong learner, and lately, he has been learning Haskell for fun and to gain some insight into pure functional programming.