Learn to Build a Restful CRUD API with Node.js and MongoDB

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Installing Node.js
3. Creating a New Node API Project
4. Initializing Package.json
5. Creating the Server file
6. Installing and Using Express
7. Connecting Node.js to MongoDB
8. Creating the Data Model
9. Saving Data to MongoDB
10. Fetching Data from MongoDB
11. Updating Data in MongoDB
12. Deleting Data from MongoDB
13. Conclusion

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will learn how to develop a Node.js API with MongoDB and the Express framework. We will start by installing Node.js on the computer and setting up the project. Then, we will connect the project to MongoDB and Create a data model for the database. We will cover topics such as saving, fetching, updating, and deleting data from the database. By the end of this tutorial, You will have a good understanding of developing Node.js APIs with MongoDB.

Installing Node.js

First of all, make sure you have Node.js installed on your computer. If you don't have Node.js, you can download it from the official Website, nodejs.org. Download the long-term support edition and double-click on the downloaded file to install it. To check if Node.js is installed properly, open PowerShell and Type node -v. It should display the version of Node.js installed on your computer.

Creating a New Node API Project

To create a new Node API project, open your preferred code editor and create a new folder for your project. Open the folder in the code editor and create a new terminal. In the terminal, type npm init -y to create a package.json file for your project. The package.json file is used to manage the dependencies and scripts for your project.

Initializing package.json

To initialize the package.json file, open the terminal and type npm init -y. This command will generate a package.json file in your project folder. The package.json file is used to manage the dependencies and scripts for your Node.js project.

Creating the Server file

Next, create a new file called server.js in your project folder. This file will be the main file for your Node.js API. In the server.js file, you can write your Node.js code and define the routes and endpoints for your API.

Installing and Using Express

To install Express, open the terminal and type npm install express. Express is a Node.js framework that makes it easy to create web applications and APIs. After installing Express, require it in your server.js file using const express = require('express'). You can then create an Express application using const app = express().

Connecting Node.js to MongoDB

To connect your Node.js application to MongoDB, you need to install the mongoose package. Mongoose is an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) library for MongoDB that provides a higher-level abstraction for interacting with the database. To install Mongoose, open the terminal and type npm install mongoose.

After installing Mongoose, require it in your server.js file using const mongoose = require('mongoose'). Then, use the mongoose.connect() method to establish a connection to your MongoDB database. You will need to provide the connection STRING, which includes the database URL, username, and password.

Creating the Data Model

In order to Interact with the data in your MongoDB database, you need to create a data model. A data model defines the structure and behavior of the data stored in the database. To create a data model using Mongoose, you need to define a schema. A schema is a blueprint for the data, specifying the fields, types, and validation rules.

To create a data model, open a new file called product.model.js in the models folder of your project. In this file, require Mongoose and create a new schema using const schema = new mongoose.Schema({}). Inside the schema, define the fields of your data model using the Mongoose schema types.

Saving Data to MongoDB

To save data to MongoDB using Mongoose, you need to create a new instance of your data model and call the save() method. The save() method will insert the data into the database as a new document. You can access the data sent by the client using the request.body object.

Fetching Data from MongoDB

To fetch or retrieve data from MongoDB using Mongoose, you can use the find() method. The find() method allows you to query the database and retrieve documents that match your specified criteria. You can use various query operators to filter the data Based on your requirements.

Updating Data in MongoDB

To update data in MongoDB using Mongoose, you can use the findOneAndUpdate() method. This method allows you to find a document based on a specified query and update it with new data. You can access the update data sent by the client using the request.body object.

Deleting Data from MongoDB

To delete data from MongoDB using Mongoose, you can use the findOneAndDelete() method. This method allows you to find a document based on a specified query and delete it from the database. You can access the ID of the document to be deleted using the request.params object.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have learned how to develop a Node.js API with MongoDB and the Express framework. We started by creating a new Node API project, installing the necessary dependencies, and setting up the server file. We then connected our application to MongoDB and created a data model using Mongoose. We covered the concepts of saving, fetching, updating, and deleting data from the database. By following this tutorial, you should now have a solid understanding of building Node.js APIs with MongoDB.