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Node.js is a server-side JavaScript runtime that has become one of the most popular platforms for creating web applications. Node.js provides a rich API that handles common tasks and benefits from a vast library of open-source and commercial packages and frameworks that provide every kind of feature and function imaginable.

This book dives deep into the different ways that Node.js can be used to create web applications, with each feature described in detail so you understand what’s happening when you start your own Node.js web application project.

What do you need to know?

To follow the examples in this book, you should be familiar with HTML and CSS, and understand the basics of JavaScript development. I provide a primer for the JavaScript features that are useful for this book, but this isn’t a complete language tutorial.

How do you set up your development environment?

The development tools needed for Node.js development are set up in Chapter 2. Later chapters require additional tools and packages, but full instructions are provided.

What is the structure of this book?

This book is split into three parts, each of which covers a set of related topics.

• Part 1, Putting Node.js in Context: Part 1 of this book provides the information you need to get started with Node.js development. It describes the tools required for Node.js development, the basic JavaScript features required to follow the examples in this book, and the core Node.js support for web applications.
• Part 2, Node.js in Detail: Part 2 of this book covers the features required to create a fully featured web application, including producing HTML content, using databases, and creating RESTful web services. A custom implementation of each feature is used to explain how it works in detail, before being replaced with a popular open-source project to demonstrate how the same results can be achieved in a real project.
• Part 3, SportsStore: The chapters in parts 1 and 2 focus on individual features, with deep dives that explain how that feature works and how it is...

Are there lots of examples?

There areloads of examples. The best way to learn is by example, and I have packed as many of them into this book as I can. To maximize the number of examples in this book, I have adopted a simple convention to avoid listing the same code or content repeatedly. When I create a file, I will show its full contents, just as I have inListing 1.1. I include the name of the file and its folder in the listing’s header, and I show the changes that I have made in bold.

function getUKCapital() : string {     return "London";}function writeCity(f: () => string)  {    console.log(`City: ${f()}`)}writeCity(getUKCapital);writeCity(() => "Paris");let myCity = "Rome";writeCity(() => myCity);

This is a listing fromChapter 3, which shows the contents of a file calledindex.ts that can be found in theprimer folder. Don’t worry about...

Where can you get the example code?

You can download the example projects for all the chapters in this book fromhttps://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-Node.js-Web-Development. The download is available without charge and contains everything that you need to follow the examples without having to type in all of the code.

What if you have problems following the examples?

The first thing to do is to go back to the start of the chapter and begin over. Most problems are caused by skipping a step or not fully applying the changes shown in a listing. Pay close attention to the emphasis in code listings, which highlights the changes that are required.

Next, check the errata/corrections list, which is included in the book’s GitHub repository. Technical books are complex, and mistakes are inevitable, despite my best efforts and those of my editors. Check the errata list for the list of known errors and instructions to resolve them.

If you still have problems, then download the project for the chapter you are reading from the book’s GitHub repository,https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-Node.js-Web-Development, and compare it to your project. I created the code for the GitHub repository by working through each chapter, so you should have the same files with the same contents in your project...

What if you find an error in the book?

You can report errors to me by email atadam@adam-freeman.com, although I ask that you first check the errata/corrections list for this book, which you can find in the book’s GitHub repository athttps://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-Node.js-Web-Development, in case it has already been reported.

I add errors that are likely to confuse readers, especially problems with example code, to the errata/corrections file on the GitHub repository, with a grateful acknowledgment to the first reader who reported it. I also publish a list of less serious issues, which usually means errors in the text surrounding examples, and which are unlikely to confuse.

How do you contact the author?

You can email me atadam@adam-freeman.com. It has been a few years since I started publishing an email address in my books. I wasn’t entirely sure that it was a good idea, but I am glad that I did it. I have received emails from around the world, from readers working or studying in every industry, and—for the most part, anyway—the emails are positive, polite, and a pleasure to receive.

I try to reply promptly, but I get many emails, and sometimes I get a backlog, especially when I have my head down trying to finish writing a book. I always try to help readers who are stuck with an example in the book, although I ask that you follow the steps described earlier in this chapter before contacting me.

While I welcome reader emails, there are some common questions for which the answers will always be “no.” I am afraid that I won’t write the code for your new startup, help you with your college assignment, get involved...