Introduction to Node.js Development

Explore how the client and server exchange requests and responses, with the browser loading index.html and css and javascript assets while the server analyzes and returns data.

Discover how to run server-side JavaScript with Node, install it with Homebrew, verify with which Node, use the Node REPL, scaffold a basic app.js, and print hello world.

Learn how Node.js handles file dependencies using require and module.exports to expose functions across files. This module-based approach enables including utilities and accessing say hello from another file.

Add a .gitignore to ignore node_modules. Clone the repository on a new computer and run npm install to install dependencies from package.json.

Learn to build a basic node.js http server that handles requests, sends a text/plain hello world response, and starts on port 3000 for local access.

Discover how the Express framework simplifies routing and application logic for Node apps by setting up npm, installing Express, and building a basic app with a hello world route.

Use the built-in express generator to scaffold a full express app quickly, install with npm install -g express-generator, and run bin/www to test with middleware, routes, and jade views.

Install nodemon globally with npm and use it to watch files and automatically restart your Node.js server during development. See how changes trigger restarts and how to recover from crashes.

Learn to render server-side templates with Jade in an Express app, including installing Jade, configuring views, passing variables, and building basic templates with doctype, html, and dynamic content.

Explore how model–view–controller brings organization to growing web apps by separating data from the database, rendering, and logic, and learn how controllers glue models and views across server and client.

Deploy your node.js app to the web with heroku by creating an account, following getting started docs, installing the toolbelt for your OS, and logging in; continue at step 4.

Initialize a git repository, set a Heroku remote, create a public GitHub repo to sync your node express app; push, deploy, and configure a start script in package.json.

Modify your Node.js app for Heroku deployment by configuring the server port, rendering with Jade, setting dynos, and following a Git workflow to push changes to Heroku.

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