In the world of web development, having a robust backend is crucial for almost any web application. The backend serves as the backbone of the application, handling data storage, user interactions, and complex tasks like calculations and data processing.

Various programming languages are available for backend development, such as Java, C, C++, Go, Python, Ruby, PHP, and more. However, we have chosen Node.js as our preferred backend technology for two compelling reasons:

1. Familiarity and Ease of Use: One of the key advantages of Node.js is that it leverages JavaScript, a language that you are already familiar with. which allows you to quickly get started with Node.js, reducing the learning curve and increasing productivity.

2. Asynchronous Nature and Scalability: Node.js is exceptionally well-suited for building web APIs. Its asynchronous nature enables it to handle high input/output loads efficiently. In other words, it can process multiple lightweight user requests simultaneously, making it ideal for applications with a large number of concurrent users.

• Learning Objectives: what you can expect to learn from studying this material
• Suggested Study: Helpful links for this module, useful but not required.

1. Introduction to Node.js

• What is Node.js?
• Node.js vs. Browser JavaScript
• Server-side JavaScript
• Non-blocking I/O
• Event-driven architecture

2. Setting Up Node.js

• Installing Node.js and npm
• Version management with nvm
• Creating your first Node.js script
• Running scripts with Node.js

3. Modules and npm

• Importing and exporting modules
• Creating and publishing npm packages
• Managing dependencies with package.json
• Installing and updating packages

4. File System Operations

• Reading and writing files
• Working with directories
• Asynchronous vs. Synchronous file operations

5. Debugging Node.js Applications

• Debugging tools and techniques

• Using the Node.js debugger

• Debugging memory leaks

• Understanding callbacks

• Callback hell and how to avoid it

• Error-first callback pattern

6. Event Loop and Callbacks

• Event-driven programming model
• EventEmitter class
• Handling events with callbacks

7. HTTP Server with Node.js

• Creating a basic HTTP server
• Handling HTTP requests and responses
• Routing in a server

8. Express.js Framework

• Introduction to Express.js
• Creating routes and handling requests
• Middleware and its role in Express.js

9. Middleware in Express.js

• Writing custom middleware
• Built-in middleware for common tasks
• Error handling middleware

10. RESTful APIs with Express.js

• Designing RESTful APIs
• Handling CRUD operations
• Express.js for API development

11. Authentication and Authorization

• User authentication strategies