Getting Started with the back-end

Prerequisites

Node.js and npm

You will need to install Node.js and node package manager (npm) to run the application. You can download Node.js from https://nodejs.org/en/download/. Make sure to download the LTS version.

VSCode

Throughout the lessons we'll use VSCode for the exercises. Make sure you have the following extensions downloaded and enabled:

• Prettier - Code formatter
• Auto Rename Tag
• GitLens - Git supercharged

Open the settings of VSCode, search for Format on save and make sure it's checked. This assures that every time you save a file, it's being formatted according to the code style rules described in .prettier.rc.

Replace the values with your local configuration.

Starting the application

Run the following commands in a terminal (cd in the back-end folder!!), to get the application up and running.

First, install all required node dependencies using npm (node package manager):

> npm install

Then, to start the backend server execute:

> npm start

Testing

Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000/status.

A message saying "Back-end is running..." should appear.

If this is the case, you have succesfully completed the installation process.