Chapter 2. Getting Started with Node.js

In the previous chapter, you set up your environment and discovered the basic development principles of Node.js. This chapter will cover the proper way of building your first Node.js web application. You'll go through the basics of JavaScript event-driven nature and how to utilize it to build Node.js applications. You'll also learn about the Node.js module system and how to build your first Node.js web application. You'll then proceed to the Connect module and learn about its powerful middleware approach. By the end of this chapter, you'll know how to use Connect and Node.js to build simple yet powerful web applications. We'll cover the following topics:

• Introduction to Node.js
• JavaScript closures and event-driven programming
• Node.js event-driven web development
• CommonJS modules and the Node.js module system
• Introduction to the Connect web framework
• Connect's middleware pattern