IT News

How to Build a REST API with Node.js and Express in 2026

By · · IT News

Introduction

REST APIs are the backbone of modern web applications. In this tutorial, we will build a complete REST API using Node.js and Express.js.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+ installed
  • Basic JavaScript knowledge
  • Postman or similar API testing tool

Step 1: Project Setup

mkdir my-api && cd my-api
npm init -y
npm install express cors helmet morgan

Step 2: Create Server

const express = require("express");
const cors = require("cors");
const helmet = require("helmet");
const morgan = require("morgan");

const app = express();
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

// Middleware
app.use(cors());
app.use(helmet());
app.use(morgan("dev"));
app.use(express.json());

// Routes
app.get("/api/health", (req, res) => {
  res.json({ status: "OK", timestamp: new Date() });
});

app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log();
});

Step 3: Add Database

We will use MongoDB with Mongoose for data persistence:

const mongoose = require("mongoose");

const connectDB = async () => {
  try {
    await mongoose.connect(process.env.MONGO_URI);
    console.log("MongoDB connected");
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error:", error.message);
    process.exit(1);
  }
};

connectDB();

Conclusion

You now have a basic REST API structure. Next steps include adding authentication, validation, and error handling.