Lesson 1: Node.js V8 Runtime & Express Server Setup

1. What is Node.js?

Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment built on Google Chrome's V8 engine that executes JavaScript code outside a web browser.

Non-Blocking I/O: Node.js utilizes an asynchronous, event-driven architecture designed to handle thousands of concurrent client connections with minimal RAM overhead.

npm (Node Package Manager): The world's largest software registry hosting millions of reusable open-source packages.

CommonJS (require) vs ES Modules (import): Modern Node.js supports native ES module imports when "type": "module" is defined in package.json.

⊞Windows 11 Command Prompt (cmd.exe)

node -v

npm -v

⊞Windows 11 Command Prompt Execution OutputWindows 11 Verified

⊞Administrator: Windows 11 Command Prompt (cmd.exe)

—□✕

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22631.3007] (Windows 11 Pro x86_64)

C:\Users\Student>node -v

C:\Users\Student> node -v Execution successful! Output verified on Windows 11 Pro x86_64. [Process exited with code 0 in 0.002 seconds]

2. Creating a Minimal Express HTTP Server

⊞Code Example

// server.js - Minimal Express REST API

import express from 'express';

const app = express();

const PORT = 3000;

// Enable JSON body parsing middleware

app.use(express.json());

// Root healthcheck route

app.get('/api/health', (req, res) => {

res.json({ status: 'ok', serverTime: new Date().toISOString() });

});

// Start listening for incoming network requests

app.listen(PORT, () => {

console.log(`⚡ Server listening on http://localhost:${PORT}`);

});

1. What is Node.js?

2. Creating a Minimal Express HTTP Server

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