APIs are the backbone of modern web and mobile applications, enabling seamless communication between different services and platforms. If you’re a beginner looking to break into backend development, learning how to build a REST API with Node.js and Express is an excellent place to start. Node.js is a fast, scalable JavaScript runtime, while Express is a minimal and flexible framework that makes building APIs straightforward. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through creating a simple yet functional REST API from scratch. You’ll learn how to set up a Node.js project, define routes, handle HTTP requests, and test your endpoints with tools like Postman or Thunder Client. By the end, you’ll have built your own To-Do list API and gained foundational skills you can expand on with databases, authentication, and more.

What to include:

• Intro to REST APIs (why they’re important).
• A quick primer on Node.js and Express.
• Step-by-step tutorial:
  

  1. Setting up Node & Express.
  2. Creating routes (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
  3. Using Postman or Thunder Client to test.
  4. Adding basic middleware for logging or error handling.

• Sample project: a simple “To-Do” API.
• Link to GitHub repo with source code.
• Possible extensions (authentication, connecting to MongoDB).

✅ Why good for your site:

• Long-form educational content that drives repeat visitors.
• Can break into parts for a mini-series.
• Great for internal linking (to MongoDB, JWT, etc. tutorials you may write).