ExpressJS Starter Template

Quick starter template on using ExpressJS

Getting started

To use this template, you should have the following installed on your computer or server.

• NodeJS and NPM (latest version is recommended)
• Docker and Docker compose (optional if you want to use it in a docker container)

Installing and running

Run these commands to install the packages and run the server.

npm install # install the needed packages
npm start # start the server

If you want, you may run the server in development mode. This can done using the command below.

npm run dev # starts the server using nodemon

FAQ

Q: The server port in the app.js file is in use. What do I do to fix this?

A: If the port included in the app.js is in use by another program, you may change it to one that is free and open. You may change it by editing the PORT variable in your environment file. Ensure that you have created it as .env in the root directory. Below is an example on how it will look like.

PORT=9000

Q: I want to use HTML files with this. What can I do to make this happen?

A: Just add any HTML files into the public folder. This folder is located in the root directory of this template. You do not have to add the static route to the app.js file as it's already added for you.

Q: Can I use view engines with this?

A: Yes you can. View engines such as EJS or HBS are the best out there but you may other engines if you want.

Q: Where do I find some reference on using ExpressJS?

A: expressjs.com

Q: How can I add routes like a about page to my server?

A: To add a route, use the following code below. You may change it if you like.

app.get('/about', function(req, res) {
  res.send('This is your about page!')
})

Questions or issues

If have any questions or want to file an issue on something about this template, please do so using the GitHub issue system. Note that I might not respond in time, so you should wait till I'm available to help you out.