Workshop 7 - Node, Express, and PostgreSQL

Workshop Topics

• Building a Node & Express Backend
  In this session, we’ll begin with a foundational look at backend development, specifically creating RESTful APIs with Node and Express. We'll cover:

  • A brief overview of REST principles and why APIs are crucial for connecting frontend applications to backend services.
  • Introduction to Express, a Node.js framework, that simplifies API development.
  • A hands-on demonstration of setting up a basic Express server and defining routes to handle incoming requests.

• Working with Databases
  Next, we’ll dive into databases, focusing on the importance of managing data in backend applications.

  • We’ll discuss why databases are vital for storing and retrieving data, and explore different types such as SQL and NoSQL, with a focus on PostgreSQL.
  • SQL Basics: Learn the core concepts of SQL, and why relational databases are commonly used for data integrity.
  • FOLLOW-ALONG: Setting up a PostgreSQL database on Render.com and connecting to it locally, using VSCode and a PostgreSQL extension to manage and query data.

• Understanding APIs
  We’ll explore the role of APIs in backend development, examining what they are, why they’re needed, and how they work.

  • We’ll discuss RESTful APIs in depth, highlighting concepts like statelessness and idempotency, and introduce HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to handle data interactions.
  • HTTP Requests and Responses: We'll break down the structure of HTTP requests, covering verbs, parameters, and body, and show how to process responses and handle errors effectively.
  • API Security: We’ll introduce environment variables using .env files for secure API keys and database connections.

• Creating Your First API
  In this practical section, we’ll guide you through creating a simple API using Node and Express, setting up routes to interact with our PostgreSQL database.

  • FOLLOW-ALONG: Build and test a Node/Express API, using tools like CURL or Postman to make requests and check responses. We'll also go over connecting your backend to a frontend application on localhost.
  • Deployment: If time allows, we’ll deploy the API to Render, making it accessible from anywhere and practice making requests to this deployed backend.

Materials

Workshop recording	Slides	Homework
Link	Link	Assignment 7