Node.js & Express Basics
Node.js lets you run JavaScript outside the browser — on a server. Express is the most popular web framework built on Node. Together they are how you build the backend for web apps: REST APIs, authentication routes, file uploads, and database connections. This course teaches Node and Express through building a real API from scratch.
What you'll learn
Course outline
Free — no account needed
Full course — $69 one-time
Routing and Middleware
Route parameters, query strings, and how middleware works
Environment Variables and Configuration
Secrets, API keys, and config that should never be in your code
Async/Await and Error Handling
Database calls, API requests, and catching errors without crashing the server
Connecting to a Database
Using Prisma ORM to query PostgreSQL from your Express API
Authentication with JWT
Login endpoints, JWT tokens, and protecting routes so only signed-in users can access them
Input Validation with Zod
Never trust user input — validating request bodies, params, and query strings
Deploying a Node API
Getting your Express API live — Railway, Render, and what changes in production
Get the full course
10 lessons — from running your first Node script to a deployed, authenticated REST API with Prisma and JWT.
About this course
Node.js brings JavaScript to the server side, letting you use a single language across your entire stack — front-end and back-end. Express.js is the minimal, unopinionated web framework built on top of Node.js that powers millions of APIs and web applications. Learning Node.js and Express means you can build REST APIs, handle HTTP requests, connect to databases, send emails, and run background jobs — all in JavaScript. This Node.js tutorial takes you from your first server to a production-ready API with database integration.
Node.js and Express are the back-end skills that complete a JavaScript developer's full-stack capability. Back-end developers who know Node.js work in roles across SaaS companies, startups, and large enterprises. The npm ecosystem is vast and well-documented. After this course you will be able to build and deploy REST APIs, understand the request/response cycle at the server level, and integrate databases and authentication into your applications.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know JavaScript before learning Node.js?
Yes — Node.js is JavaScript running on the server, so strong JavaScript fundamentals are required. You should be comfortable with functions, async/await, modules, and working with JSON before starting. If you need to build those foundations first, complete the JavaScript Fundamentals course. TypeScript knowledge is a bonus but not required — this course uses plain JavaScript.
What is the difference between Node.js and Express?
Node.js is a runtime environment that lets you run JavaScript outside the browser. Express is a web framework built on top of Node.js that simplifies building web servers and APIs. Node.js alone can handle HTTP requests, but Express adds routing, middleware, and request parsing that make building APIs dramatically faster and more organised.
Should I learn Node.js or use Next.js API routes instead?
For most new projects built with React, Next.js API routes or Server Actions handle back-end logic without needing a separate Node.js server. However, understanding Node.js and Express is still valuable — it teaches you how HTTP actually works, how middleware chains operate, and how to build standalone APIs that multiple clients can consume. Many production systems use a separate Express API alongside a Next.js front-end.
What can I build with Node.js and Express?
Node.js and Express are used to build REST APIs, GraphQL servers, real-time applications with WebSockets, webhook receivers, background job processors, CLI tools, and microservices. Most popular SaaS back-ends use Node.js because its non-blocking I/O model handles many concurrent requests efficiently. After this course you will be able to build a complete REST API with authentication, database access, and cloud deployment.
Is Node.js fast enough for production use?
Yes — Node.js is used in production at Netflix, LinkedIn, Uber, and many other high-scale companies. Its non-blocking event loop model makes it extremely efficient for I/O-heavy workloads like serving API requests and handling WebSocket connections. For CPU-intensive workloads like video encoding or heavy computation, Go or Rust would be better choices — but for the API and web service use cases most developers build, Node.js performance is more than adequate.