Express REST API Skill

Master building robust, scalable REST APIs with Express.js, the de-facto standard for Node.js web frameworks.

Quick Start

Build a basic Express API in 5 steps:

1. Setup Express – npm install express
2. Create Routes – Define GET, POST, PUT, DELETE endpoints
3. Add Middleware – JSON parsing, CORS, security headers
4. Handle Errors – Centralized error handling
5. Test & Deploy – Use Postman/Insomnia, deploy to cloud

Core Concepts

1. Express Application Structure

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

// Middleware
app.use(express.json());
app.use(express.urlencoded({ extended: true }));

// Routes
app.use('/api/users', userRoutes);
app.use('/api/products', productRoutes);

// Error handling
app.use(errorHandler);

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running'));

2. RESTful Route Design

// GET    /api/users       - Get all users
// GET    /api/users/:id   - Get user by ID
// POST   /api/users       - Create user
// PUT    /api/users/:id   - Update user
// DELETE /api/users/:id   - Delete user

const router = express.Router();

router.get('/', getAllUsers);
router.get('/:id', getUserById);
router.post('/', createUser);
router.put('/:id', updateUser);
router.delete('/:id', deleteUser);

module.exports = router;

3. Middleware Patterns

// Authentication middleware
const authenticate = (req, res, next) => {
  const token = req.headers.authorization;
  if (!token) return res.status(401).json({ error: 'Unauthorized' });
  // Verify token...
  next();
};

// Validation middleware
const validate = (schema) => (req, res, next) => {
  const { error } = schema.validate(req.body);
  if (error) return res.status(400).json({ error: error.message });
  next();
};

// Usage
router.post('/users', authenticate, validate(userSchema), createUser);

4. Error Handling

// Custom error class
class APIError extends Error {
  constructor(message, statusCode) {
    super(message);
    this.statusCode = statusCode;
  }
}

// Global error handler
app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
  const statusCode = err.statusCode || 500;
  res.status(statusCode).json({
    success: false,
    error: err.message,
    ...(process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' && { stack: err.stack })
  });
});

Learning Path

Beginner (2-3 weeks)

• ✅ Setup Express and create basic routes
• ✅ Understand middleware concept
• ✅ Implement CRUD operations
• ✅ Test with Postman

Intermediate (4-6 weeks)

• ✅ Implement authentication (JWT)
• ✅ Add input validation
• ✅ Organize code (MVC pattern)
• ✅ Connect to database

Advanced (8-10 weeks)

• ✅ API versioning (/api/v1/, /api/v2/)
• ✅ Rate limiting and security
• ✅ Pagination and filtering
• ✅ API documentation (Swagger)
• ✅ Performance optimization

Essential Packages

{
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.18.0",
    "helmet": "^7.0.0",          // Security headers
    "cors": "^2.8.5",            // Cross-origin requests
    "morgan": "^1.10.0",         // HTTP logger
    "express-validator": "^7.0.0", // Input validation
    "express-rate-limit": "^6.0.0" // Rate limiting
  }
}

Common Patterns

Response Format

// Success
{ success: true, data: {...} }

// Error
{ success: false, error: "Message" }

// Pagination
{
  success: true,
  data: [...],
  pagination: { page: 1, limit: 10, total: 100 }
}

HTTP Status Codes

• 200 OK – Successful GET/PUT
• 201 Created – Successful POST
• 204 No Content – Successful DELETE
• 400 Bad Request – Validation error
• 401 Unauthorized – Auth required
• 403 Forbidden – No permission
• 404 Not Found – Resource not found
• 500 Internal Error – Server error

Project Structure

src/
├── controllers/    # Route handlers
├── routes/        # Route definitions
├── middlewares/   # Custom middleware
├── models/        # Data models
├── services/      # Business logic
├── utils/         # Helpers
└── app.js         # Express setup

Production Checklist

• ✅ Environment variables (.env)
• ✅ Security headers (Helmet)
• ✅ CORS configuration
• ✅ Rate limiting
• ✅ Input validation
• ✅ Error handling
• ✅ Logging (Morgan/Winston)
• ✅ Testing (Jest/Supertest)
• ✅ API documentation

Real-World Example

Complete user API:

const express = require('express');
const router = express.Router();
const { body } = require('express-validator');

// GET /api/users
router.get('/', async (req, res, next) => {
  try {
    const { page = 1, limit = 10 } = req.query;
    const users = await User.find()
      .limit(limit)
      .skip((page - 1) * limit);

    res.json({ success: true, data: users });
  } catch (error) {
    next(error);
  }
});

// POST /api/users
router.post('/',
  body('email').isEmail(),
  body('password').isLength({ min: 8 }),
  async (req, res, next) => {
    try {
      const user = await User.create(req.body);
      res.status(201).json({ success: true, data: user });
    } catch (error) {
      next(error);
    }
  }
);

module.exports = router;

When to Use

Use Express REST API when:

• Building backend for web/mobile apps
• Creating microservices
• Developing API-first applications
• Need flexible, lightweight framework
• Want large ecosystem and community

Related Skills

• Async Programming (handle async operations)
• Database Integration (connect to MongoDB/PostgreSQL)
• JWT Authentication (secure your APIs)
• Jest Testing (test your endpoints)
• Docker Deployment (containerize your API)

Resources

• Express.js Official Docs
• REST API Best Practices
• MDN HTTP Guide