If you’re getting started with backend development or API design, Node.js is one of the best places to begin. It’s lightweight, fast, and powered by JavaScript — meaning you can use one language across both frontend and backend.

In this short guide, we’ll set up a simple Node.js server using the popular Express framework.

Step 1: Initialize Your Project

Create a new folder for your project and open it in your terminal:

mkdir simple-node-server
cd simple-node-server

Initialize Node.js:

npm init -y

This command creates a package.json file to manage your project dependencies.

⚙️ Step 2: Install Express

Express is a minimalist web framework that makes building APIs much easier.

Install it using:

npm install express

Step 3: Create the Server File

Create a file named server.js and paste the following code:

// server.js
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const PORT = 3000;

// Middleware to parse JSON requests
app.use(express.json());

// Default route
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello from Node.js server 👋');
});

// Sample POST route
app.post('/api/data', (req, res) => {
  const { name } = req.body;
  res.json({ message: `Hello ${name}, your data was received successfully!` });
});

// Start the server
app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`🚀 Server running at http://localhost:${PORT}`);
});

Step 4: Run the Server

Start your server by running:

node server.js

You’ll see this message in your terminal:

Server running at http://localhost:3000

Now open your browser and visit:

👉 http://localhost:3000

You should see:

Hello from Node.js server 👋

Step 5: (Optional) Try a POST Request

You can test your /api/data route using Postman, Insomnia, or cURL:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/data -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"name":"Sospeter"}'

Expected response:

{
  "message": "Hello Sospeter, your data was received successfully!"
}

✅ Conclusion

And that’s it — your first Node.js server!
From here, you can expand it with:

• JWT authentication
• Database connections (MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL)
• API routes for user registration, payments, etc.
• Environment variables for secure configuration

With Node.js and Express, you have the foundation to build anything from a small API to a full-scale backend service.