Lesson 13 +10 XP

Introduction to Express.js

What is Express.js?

Express is a minimal, unopinionated, and flexible Node.js web application framework that provides a robust set of features for building web applications and HTTP APIs.

Why Use Express over Native Node HTTP?

Task	Native Node (`node:http`)	Express.js Framework
Server Setup	Verbose switch statement on `req.url`	Declarative routing (`app.get`, `app.post`)
Parsing JSON	Manual stream chunk buffer accumulation	Built-in `express.json()` middleware
Sending JSON	`res.setHeader()` + `JSON.stringify()`	`res.json({ success: true })`
Route Parameters	Regex matching on URL path	Named route parameters (`req.params.id`)

# Installing Express
npm install express

TL;DR

Express abstracts low-level Node.js HTTP boilerplate into clean routing and middleware APIs.
Lightweight, fast, and the de-facto standard framework for Node.js backends.