Getting Ready

Node.js is a server-side JavaScript runtime that has become one of the most popular platforms for creating web applications. Node.js benefits from a vast library of packages and frameworks, providing every kind of feature and function imaginable, built on a rich API that Node.js provides for handling low-level tasks.

This book is different from most other Node.js books because it explains the relationship between the Node.js API and popular web application packages. Each chapter explains how a core feature required for web development can be implemented using the Node.js API, before replacing the custom implementation with a popular and well-tested open-source package.

Understanding the Node.js API gives you a solid understanding of how web application features really work, and using popular packages lets you build those features without having to write custom code. When problems arise, as they will in any project, your knowledge of the Node.js API will give...