Category: Node.js

Usually good things don’t stay the same, so our tutorial on building a JSON REST API server with Node.js and MongoDB using Mongoskin and Express.js, and testing it with Mocha and Superagent, has became a bit outdated with the new Express.js 4 version release. Here’s a brand new, revisited tutorial for Express.js 4, Node.js and MongoDB (Mongoskin) free-JSON RESTful API server.

The code for this new tutorial is available at github.com/azat-co/rest-api-express (master branch). The old tutorial’s code for Express 3.x, is still working and in the express3 branch.

Express.js 4 and MongoDB REST API Tutorial consists of these parts:

1. Node.js and MongoDB REST API Overview
2. REST API Tests with Mocha and Superagent
3. NPM-ing Node.js Server Dependencies
4. Express.js 4.x Middleware Caveat
5. Express.js and MongoDB (Mongoskin) Implementation
6. Running The Express.js 4 App and Testing MongoDB Data with Mocha
7. Conclusion and Further Express.js and Node.js Reading

Instead of TL;DR:

If you’re only interested in a working code from the repository and know what to do, here are brief instructions on how to download and run the REST API server:

$ git clone git@github.com:azat-co/rest-api-express.git
$ npm install
$ node express.js

Start MongoDB with $ mongod. Then, in a new terminal window run the Mocha tests:

$ mocha express.test.js

Or, if you don’t have mocha installed globally:

$ ./node_modules/mocha/bin/mocha express.test.js

Node.js and MongoDB REST API Overview

This Node.js, Express.js and MongoDB (Mongoskin) tutorial will walk you through writing the test using the Mocha and Super Agent libraries. This is needed for a test-driven development building of a Node.js free JSON REST API server.

The server application itself will utilize Express.js 4.x framework and Mongoskin library for MongoDB. In this REST API server, we’ll perform create, read, update and delete (CRUD) operations and harness Express.js middleware concept with app.param() and app.use() methods.

First of all, make sure you have MongoDB installed. You can follow the steps on the official website.

We’ll be using the following versions of libraries:

• express: ~4.1.1
• body-parser: ~1.0.2
• mongoskin: ~1.4.1
• expect.js: ~0.3.1
• mocha: ~1.18.2
• superagent: ~0.17.0

If you try to attempt to use later or older versions the code might not work. :-(

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