Session 1 - Getting Started with Backend (Node)

Session 1 - Getting Started with Backend (Node)

Installing Node.js

Visit https://nodejs.org/en and download the compatible version for Windows.

For Linux/Mac OS visit and follow the instructions mentioned at https://github.com/nodesource/distributions.

Checking if Node.js is Installed

Run the following commands to check if you've successfully installed Node.js or not.

node -v

node --version

Work with Node.js in Your Terminal directly

node

Run a JavaScript file using Node.

• Create a file called index.js and add any JS-related code. Eg: console.log('Hello there!');
• Open the terminal in the same directory as the index.js file.
• Run the following command to execute the index.js file.

node index.js

• The output in your terminal should be:

Hello there!

WebAPIs are not accessible in Node.js Environment!

console.log("hello, world!")

const a = 10;
const b = 20;

console.log(a + b);

try {
    const element = document.querySelector('#box');
} catch (error) {
    console.log('Not in browser!')
}

The output of the above code will be:

hello, world!
30
Not in browser!

This is because Node.js is a runtime environment OUTSIDE of your browser! Access to the web apps does not exist simply because they're not part of the system.

Resources Used

1. JavaScript Execution Context – How JS Works Behind The Scenes
2. Web APIs | MDN
3. Introduction to Node.js
4. npm

What we covered?

• What is backend development?
• It's usecase.
• What we will learn in the upcoming sessions?
• What is Node.js? Installing Node.js.
• Checking if Node.js is installed.
• Differneces between Modules and Packages.
  • A better explaination is here - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/20008442/difference-between-a-module-and-a-package-in-node-js

Notion Page: https://kunal-keshan.notion.site/Getting-Started-with-Backend-Node-af73a67815f6496482f21de4ae33b1e4?pvs=4 - Refer for additional information.