1. Introduction to Node.js
Please rate this talk: http://spkr8.com/t/19141
Monday, January 14, 13

2. Our Goals
• What Node Isn't and Is • A Website
• How to Install • A RESTful Web Service
• Hello World - Node • Why Node
Style
• Resources
• Node Workflow
• Summary
• Three Key Ideas
• Introducing NPM
Monday, January 14, 13

3. Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this talk are my own and don’t
represent those of my employer, my friends, my family, or
even me.
Monday, January 14, 13

4. Who am I?
I am a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer and I’ve
been developing software since 1979. Since 2009, I have
been focused on developing mobile applications, for
iPhone, Android, the mobile web, and Windows Phone 7.
Monday, January 14, 13

5. Who Are You? (I hope)
• Experienced with JavaScript
• Experience with some other server
framework
• Familiar with the Unix Tool Chain
• Familiar with Git
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6. What Node
Isn't and Is?
• What Node Isn't?
• What Node Is?
• How to Spell It?
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7. What Node Isn't?
Monday, January 14, 13

8. What Node Is?
• The Official Answer
• It is built on Google's V8
• The Server and the App Are One
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9. The Official Answer
• Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's
JavaScript runtime for easily building fast,
scalable network applications. Node.js uses an
event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that
makes it lightweight and efficient, perfect for
data-intensive real-time applications that run
across distributed devices.
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10. It is built on Google's
V8
• Google’s Open Source JavaScript Engine
• V8 is really fast
• It is compiled, sort of
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11. The Server and The
App Are One
• Unlike Other Technologies
• IIS and ASP.NET ( aspnet_wp.exe)
• Apache HTTP and PHP
• Complete Control of the HTTP Request
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12. How to Spell It?
• Node.js
• Node.JS
• Node (my preferred spelling)
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13. How to Install
• http://nodejs.org/downloads
• Mac/PC/Linux/SunOS
• Azure
• http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/
develop/nodejs/
Monday, January 14, 13

14. Hello World Node
Style
var http=require('http');
http.createServer(function (req, res) {
res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain});
res.end('Hello Worldn');
}).listen(3000);
console.log('Server running at http://localhost:3000/');
Monday, January 14, 13

15. A Slightly Better Hello
World
var http=require('http');
var server = http.createServer();
server.on(function (req, res) {
res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain});
res.end('Hello Worldn');
}).listen(3000);
console.log('Server running at http://localhost:3000/');
Monday, January 14, 13

16. Node Workflow
• The REPL
• Developing
• Publishing
Monday, January 14, 13

17. The REPL
• Read - Eval - Print Loop
• Brings JavaScript to the command line
• Allows all JavaScript commands
• Isn’t Really too useful
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18. Developing
• Text Editor / Terminal
• VIM
• WebStorm
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19. Publishing with Git
• Git
• Microsoft Azure
• Heroku
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20. Three Key Ideas
• Callbacks
• Events
• Modules
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21. Callbacks
• Callbacks are the key to Asynchronous
Programming
• Avoid thinking in Java or C# with callbacks
query(“SELECT * from db”, function(result) {
/* do something with result */
});
Monday, January 14, 13

22. Events
• Events are Core to Node’s Architecture
• Events are defined in the Module, Events
• Events are hooked using .on
• Events are triggered using .emit
• Your code can define and emit events also
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23. Modules
• Based on CommonJS
• Solves the Issue of the JavaScript Global
Object
• Modules are wrapped in anonymous
functions
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24. Modules
(function() {
/* contents of module file */
})();
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25. Introducing NPM
• Node Package Manager
• http://npmjs.org
• Core
• Userland
• Types of Installs
• Don’t Re-invent the Wheel
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26. Core
• Packages that are internal to Node
• Defined in Node's source in the lib/ folder
• Modules like: http, util, fs, etc.
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27. Userland
• Modules loaded from NPM or other
• npm install <module name>
• npm install -g <module name>
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28. Types of Installs
• Global - Accessible to all Node Apps
• Local - Accessible only to the current App
• Prefer Local
• App has all components when published
• No need to sudo
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29. Don’t Re-invent the
Wheel
• There are over 20k Packages already
defined
• Most of your problems have already been
solved
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30. Top Ten Packages
• #10 connect
Connect is an extensible HTTP server
framework for node, providing high
performance "plugins" known as
middleware. Connect is bundled with over
20 commonly used middleware, including a
logger, session support, cookie parser, and
more.
Monday, January 14, 13

31. Top Ten Packages
• #9 coffee-script
CoffeeScript is a little language that
compiles into JavaScript.
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32. Top Ten Packages
• #8 underscore
Underscore.js is a utility-belt library for
JavaScript that provides support for the
usual functional suspects (each, map,
reduce, filter...) without extending any core
JavaScript objects.
Monday, January 14, 13

33. Top Ten Packages
• #7 jade
Jade is a high performance template engine
heavily influenced by Haml and
implemented with JavaScript for node.
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34. Top Ten Packages
• #6 redis
This is a complete Redis client for node.js.
It supports all Redis commands, including
many recently added commands like EVAL
from experimental Redis server branches.
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35. Top Ten Packages
• #5 mocha
Mocha is a simple, flexible, fun JavaScript
test framework for node.js and the
browser.
Monday, January 14, 13

36. Top Ten Packages
• #4 socket.io
Socket.IO is a Node.JS project that makes
WebSockets and realtime possible in all
browsers. It also enhances WebSockets by
providing built-in multiplexing, horizontal
scalability, automatic JSON encoding/
decoding, and more.
Monday, January 14, 13

37. Top Ten Packages
• #3 async
Async is a utility module which provides
straight-forward, powerful functions for
working with asynchronous JavaScript.
Although originally designed for use with
node.js, it can also be used directly in the
browser.
Monday, January 14, 13

38. Top Ten Packages
• #2 request
Simplified HTTP request client.
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39. Top Ten Packages
• #1 Express
Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web
framework for node.
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40. A Website
Monday, January 14, 13

41. A RESTful Web Service
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42. Why Node?
• Avoids the Web Dev Context Switch
• Gives You Full Control of the Server
• Makes Asynchronous Coding Easy
• Node is Fun
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43. Resources
• http://nodejs.org
• http://npmjs.org
• http://nodetuts.com
• http://howtonode.org
• http://package.json.nodejitsu.com
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44. Summary
• What Node Isn't and Is • A Website Using
Packages
• How to Install
• A RESTful Web Service
• Hello World - Node
Style • Why Node
• Node Workflow • Resources
• Three Key Ideas • Summary
• Introducing NPM
Monday, January 14, 13