Intro to Backend Web Development – Node.js & Express Tutorial for Beginners

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This introductory guide teaches you how to construct a basic backend for a website using popular technologies like Node.js, Express.js, and the MongoDB NoSQL database. The tutorial covers the core components of backend development, walking you through the initial server setup, database connection, and code structure using a model, route, and controller pattern. You will learn to build practical APIs for user authentication, including password hashing, as well as full CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations to manage data. Finally, the video demonstrates how to utilize Postman to test your server's requests and ensure your APIs are functioning correctly. This course was developed by Shivani. She is part of Hack Club. Hack Club is a global non-profit organization that creates a community for high school students interested in coding and making things with technology. Hack Club is free and any teenager can join. Check out their site to get stickers and learn more: ⭐️ Contents ⭐️ - 00:00 Introduction & Overview - 01:44 What is a Backend? - 02:01 Core Components: Languages, Databases, Runtimes, Frameworks - 04:36 Backend Architecture Flowchart - 05:44 How Frontend Connects to Backend (APIs) - 07:00 Prerequisites & Installing Node.js - 08:50 Project Folder Structure - 09:30 Project Initialization (Git & npm) - 12:56 Setting up MongoDB Atlas Database - 15:45 Environment Variables (.env) - 18:36 Constants & ES Modules Setup - 20:30 Creating the Express App (app.