How to Build a Basic Web Application with Express Vue JS

How to Build a Basic Web Application with Express Vue JS - Building a web application can seem like a daunting task, especially for beginners. However, with the right tools and knowledge, it can be quite simple. In this article, we will go over how to build a basic web application using Express and Vue JS. We will cover everything from setting up the project to deploying it. So, let's get started!

Introduction
Prerequisites
Setting up the project
Creating a basic server with Express
Setting up the front-end with Vue JS
Connecting the front-end and back-end
Adding functionality to the web application
Deploying the web application
Conclusion
FAQs

1. Introduction

Before we dive into the technical aspects of building a web application, let's first define what a web application is. A web application is a computer program that utilizes web browsers and web technology to perform tasks over the internet. Some examples of web applications include social media platforms, online banking systems, and online shopping websites.

2. Prerequisites

Before we start building our web application, there are a few prerequisites that we need to have in place. These include:

Node.js and NPM installed on your computer
A text editor such as Visual Studio Code
Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Basic knowledge of the Express and Vue JS frameworks

3. Setting up the project

To begin, let's create a new directory for our project and navigate to it in the terminal. Once we are in the directory, we can initialize a new Node.js project by running the following command:

npm init

This will create a package.json file in our project directory which will keep track of all our dependencies and configurations. We can now install the necessary packages for our project.

4. Creating a basic server with Express

Next, we will set up a basic server using Express. We can install Express by running the following command in the terminal:

npm install express

Once we have installed Express, we can create a new file called index.js in our project directory. In this file, we will import Express and create a new instance of it. We will then set up a basic route that will return a message to the client.

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello, world!');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server listening on port 3000');
});

We can now run our server by executing the following command in the terminal:

node index.js

If everything was set up correctly, we should see the message "Server listening on port 3000" in the terminal. We can now open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to see our "Hello, world!" message.

5. Setting up the front-end with Vue JS

Now that we have our server set up, let's move on to the front-end. We will be using Vue JS to create the front-end of our web application. We can install Vue JS by running the following command in the terminal:

npm install vue

Once we have installed Vue JS, we can create a new file called index.html in our project directory. In this file, we will create a basic HTML structure and include the Vue JS script.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Basic Web Application</title>
    <script src="https

6. Connecting the front-end and back-end

Now that we have our front-end and back-end set up, we need to connect them. We can do this by making a request from the front-end to the back-end. In Vue JS, we can use the axios library to make HTTP requests. We can install axios by running the following command in the terminal:

npm install axios

Once we have installed axios, we can create a new Vue JS component called App.vue. In this component, we will use axios to make a request to our server and display the response on the page.

<template>
  <div>
    <h1>{{ message }}</h1>
  </div>
</template>

<script>
import axios from 'axios';

export default {
  data() {
    return {
      message: ''
    };
  },
  mounted() {
    axios.get('http://localhost:3000/')
      .then(response => {
        this.message = response.data;
      });
  }
};
</script>

We can now include our App.vue component in our index.html file by adding the following line inside the body tag:

<div id="app">
  <app></app>
</div>

We also need to import our App.vue component and register it in our Vue JS instance. We can do this by adding the following code to our index.html file:

<script src="app.js"></script>

And creating a new file called app.js with the following code:

import Vue from 'vue';
import App from './App.vue';

new Vue({
  el: '#app',
  components: { App },
  template: '<App/>'
});

We can now run our server and open our web application in a web browser. If everything was set up correctly, we should see our "Hello, world!" message displayed on the page.

7. Adding functionality to the web application

Now that we have our basic web application set up, we can add some functionality to it. Let's say we want to create a page that displays a list of items. We can do this by creating a new route in our Express server and modifying our Vue JS component to display the list.

In our Express server, we can create a new route that returns an array of items.

app.get('/items', (req, res) => {
  const items = [
    { id: 1, name: 'Item 1' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Item 2' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Item 3' }
  ];

  res.json(items);
});

In our Vue JS component, we can modify our code to make a request to this new route and display the items in a list.

<template>
  <div>
    <h1>Items</h1>
    <ul>
      <li v-for="item in items" :key="item.id">{{ item.name }}</li>
    </ul>
  </div>
</template>

<script>
import axios from 'axios';

export default {
  data() {
    return {
      items: []
    };
  },
  mounted() {
    axios.get('http://localhost:3000/items')
      .then(response => {
        this.items = response.data;
      });
  }
};
</script>

We can now navigate to http://localhost:3000/items in our web browser and see our list of items displayed on the page.

8. Conclusion

In this article, we have learned how to build a basic web application with Express and Vue JS. We started by setting up our server and creating a basic route that returned a message. We then set up our front-end with Vue JS and created a basic component that displayed the message.

Next, we connected our front-end and back-end by making a request from the front-end to the back-end using the axios library. Finally, we added some functionality to our web application by creating a new route in our Express server and modifying our Vue JS component to display a list of items.

While this web application is very basic, it provides a solid foundation for building more complex web applications with Express and Vue JS. With these tools, we can create web applications that are fast, responsive, and easy to maintain.

9. FAQs

Q: What is Express JS? A: Express JS is a web application framework for Node.js. It provides a set of features for building web applications, such as routing, middleware, and templating.

Q: What is Vue JS? A: Vue JS is a progressive JavaScript framework for building user interfaces. It provides a set of features for building complex front-end applications, such as reactive data binding, component-based architecture, and template rendering.

Q: What is Axios? A: Axios is a popular JavaScript library for making HTTP requests from the browser or Node.js. It provides a simple and consistent API for handling AJAX requests and responses.

Q: How can I learn more about building web applications with Express and Vue JS? A: There are many resources available online for learning more about building web applications with Express and Vue JS. Some good places to start include the official documentation for Express and Vue JS, as well as online tutorials and courses.

Q: Is it difficult to build web applications with Express and Vue JS? A: While there is a learning curve involved in building web applications with Express and Vue JS, these tools are designed to make web development easier and more accessible. With some practice and patience, anyone can learn to build web applications with Express and Vue JS.

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Author : parvezkhanats

For over the past decade, Parvez has developed a range of websites, web apps, custom CMS and CRM systems using PHP, MySQL, WordPress, Laravel, jQuery, HTML5, CSS3, XML, and Ajax for both startups and small businesses. His core expertise is in complete end-to-end management of new web development projects. Parvez joined WordPress to seek out opportunities to help clients build websites.

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How to Build a Basic Web Application with Express Vue JS