What are the first steps in building a Node.js development

Question

I am a mostly front end JavaScript developer looking to get more into server side development with Node.js. My current level of understanding of Node is decent, ie. I understand what it is, how to install, and basics of getting it running. What I am interested with now is help / advice on what what to do next in order to get larger applications built. What are best practices / frameworks for getting an HTTP server up and running to serve my front end code (HTML, CSS, and JS). I know that there are things like soket.io once you have the app running for communication with the server but it is the first step I am interested in. Also what are best practice for organizing code on the server (separating out front end and back end files on the server). I would also be interested in any advice on getting a database setup and interfacing with it. I think for now I will wait for anything to do with deploying but eventually I will be looking into that.

I know this is a lot and I'm not looking for anyone to answer all this just some help getting pointed in the right direction for the point that I am at right now. I am also not apposed to paying for an material (as long as it is not crazy expensive) so if you have written any books you think that would help someone at my level please point me to it. As always a huge thanks to anyone who thinks they can help me out.

Answer 1

I would also recommend Underscore.js for writing cleaner more concise JavaScript. If you're planning a frontend of any significant complexity I would throw in Backbone.js to help structure the application. And if you're not sure about server side templating I have had a very positive experience with Jade.

Answer 2

I would definitely use express.js and mongoose to connect to mongodb to save data. I would not start with socketios until you clearly understand how nodejs and its callback mechanisms work. It gets complex and confusing if you do not understand that properly.

Checkout this post.

Looking for a reference nodejs, expressjs & mongodb app to use as template

Answer 3

I would recommend you the Express JS framework. It's easy, powerful, and has awesome documentation.

Answer 4

If you're new to server-side development, I would suggest you start with one of the web frameworks, something such as express.