This document provides an introduction to Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine that allows JavaScript to be run on the server-side. Express is a web application framework for Node.js that provides routing capabilities and middleware support. MongoDB is a non-relational database that stores data in flexible, JSON-like documents, rather than using rigid tables. The document discusses the pros and cons of each technology and provides examples of basic usage and configuration.

1. Node.js, Express & MongoDB
A brief introduction
Cristina Hernández &
Alberto Irurueta

2. What is Node.js?
- Is an implementation of a web server based on Javascript
- Is not a web framework, it’s a platform!
(It’s like saying that .net is a web development framework)

3. Pros & Cons of Node.js
PROS:
- Is very very efficient in
resources usage.
- Javascript code is compiled.
- Runs on a single thread.
- WTF?
- Takes advantage of I/O locks to
handle several requests almost
concurrently on a single thread.
- Useful for I/O, not for intensive
computations
- On production systems typically
one thread is spanned per
processor
- Javascript both on
frontend & backend
- Easier for designers
CONS:
- Configuration on
Windows systems is a
pain in the ass.
- Not useful for
computation intensive
tasks or enterprise
applications.
http://blog.mixu.net/2011/02/01/understanding-
the-node-js-event-loop/

4. Runs on a single thread I
- All I/O call are non-blocking and event based
- Your code is the only part not running asynchronously,
hence computation intensive code (i.e. computing an
image thumbnail) blocks the whole server.
- Asynchronous code can be made using solutions similar
to WebSockets, but then thread synchronization issues
will appear.
It is typically better to run computationally intensive code in backend servers
and use an API REST or similar.

5. Runs on a single thread II
- But how can we attend several requests on a single
thread?
- A bit of history:
- One process per request:
- process memory is copied for each request. Too much memory usage!
- One thread per request:
- typically using POSIX accept(). Memory does not need to be copied but the OS has
additional work scheduling all the threads.
- Single asynchronous thread:
- using select() multiple requests can be attended while waiting for other I/O operations
on other requests on the same thread! Less work for the OS!
POSIX accept: http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/functions/accept.htm
POSIX select: http://linux.die.net/man/2/selectl

6. Node.js event based
var result = db.query("select x from table_Y");
doSomethingWith(result); //wait for result
doSomethingWithOutResult(); //execution is blocked!!
Sync:
Async:
db.query(“select x from table_Y”, function (result) {
doSomethingWith(result); //wait for result
});
doSomethingWithOutResult(); //executes without any delay!
callback!

7. Node.js comparison
- Asynchronous thread handling is not exclusive of node.js!
- It is interesting for AJAX intensive applications or for
push model implementations (i.e. websockets, chats, etc)
- Other platforms have implemented this model too:
- Java: Servlet API 3.0 (December 2009)
- ASP.NET: .NET platform 4.5 (August 2012)
- PHP? Django?

8. Node.js installation
Mac OS X:
- Go to: https://nodejs.org/en/
- Click the big green button to download the setup
program.
Linux:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nodejs
sudo apt-get install npm

9. Running & debugging
- Starting/stopping: node <file.js>
- Debugging: nodemon --debug <file.js>
- Debugger: node-inspector
Installing nodemon && node-inspector:
npm install nodemon
npm install node-inspector

10. Node.js - when to use it
- Chat / Messaging
- Real-Time applications
- High concurrency applications
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5062614/how-to-decide-when-to-use-node-js

11. Node.js - Built-in modules
- assert
- buffer
- child_process
- cluster
- crypto
- dgram
- dns
- events
- fs
- http
- https
- net
- os
- path
- punycode
- querystring
- readline
- repl
- string_decoder
- tls
- tty
- url
- util
- vm
- zlib

12. Node.js - FileSystem
var fs = require("fs");
// Asynchronous read
fs.readFile('input.txt', function (err, data) {
if (err) {
return console.error(err);
}
console.log("Asynchronous read: " + data.toString());
});
// Synchronous read
var data = fs.readFileSync('input.txt');
console.log("Synchronous read: " + data.toString());
console.log("Program Ended");

13. What is Express?
It is a node.js based web framework
It’s the equivalent to a Servlet + web.xml in Java!
npm install --save express

14. Express - HTTP Server
var express = require('express');
var http = require('http');
//create express app
var app = express();
app.set('port', process.env.PORT || 3000);
http.createServer(app).listen(app.get('port'), function(){
console.log('Express server listening on port ' + app.get('port'));
});

15. Express - Routing
app.get('/', function(request, response) {
response.send('¡Hello, Express!');
});
app.get('/users/:userName', function(request, response) {
var name = request.params.userName;
response.send('¡Hello, ' + name + '!');
});
//regex
app.get(//users/(d*)/?(edit)?/, function (request, response) {
var message = 'user number #' + request.params[0];
if (request.params[1] === 'edit') {
message = Editing ' + message;
} else {
message = 'Viewing ' + message;
}
response.send(message);
});
handler

16. Express - Routing POST
app.post('/users', function(request, response) {
var username = request.body.username;
response.send('¡Hello, ' + username + '!');
});
Express doesn’t parse request body by default
app.use(express.bodyParser());
middleware

17. Express - View rendering
app.set('views', path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'templates'));
app.set('view engine', 'dust');
app.get('/', function(request, response) {
response.render('index', {
title: '¡Hello, Express!',
username: 'Benítez'
});
});
view parameters

18. Express - NODE_ENV
Linux and OSX: export NODE_ENV=production
Windows: SET NODE_ENV=production
- Environment variable NODE_ENV
- development
- production
- By default, Express switches on view caching on
production

19. Express - Connect / Middlewares
function uselessMiddleware(req, res, next) { next() }
// A middleware that simply interrupts every request
function worseThanUselessMiddleware(req, res, next) {
next("Hey are you busy?")
}
- Connect is an extensible HTTP server framework for
node, providing high performance "plugins" known as
middleware.
- A middleware is simply a function with three
arguments: request, response, next
error -> request interruption

20. Express - Connect / Middlewares
// a middleware mounted on /user/:id; will be executed for any type of HTTP
request to /user/:id
app.use('/user/:id', function (req, res, next) {
console.log('Request Type:', req.method);
next();
})
// a middleware with no mount path; gets executed for every request to the app
app.use(function (req, res, next) {
console.log('Time:', Date.now());
next();
});

21. Express - Router-level middleware
var app = express();
var router = express.Router();
// shows request info for any type of HTTP request to /user/:id
router.use('/user/:id', function(req, res, next) {
console.log('Request URL:', req.originalUrl);
next();
}, function (req, res, next) {
console.log('Request Type:', req.method);
next();
});
// mount the router on the app
app.use('/', router);

22. Express - Error Handling
app.use(function(err, req, res, next) {
console.error(err.stack);
res.status(500).send('Something broke!');
});
- Error-handling middleware always takes four
arguments.

23. Express - Official middlewares

24. MongoDB
It’s a non relational database
It’s non-transactional: Only guarantees that read/write operations are atomic,
but rollback cannot be done
Better performance than most relational databases
Not suitable for highly concurrent applications (i.e. commerce or financial
applications where account balances or product stock must be synchronized
between requests).
Suitable to work on non-concurrent and large amounts of data (i.e. timeline,
logging, analytics, etc)
Uses Javascript as programming language!
Mongoose
Other relational & non-relational databases

25. MongoDB - NoSQL Database
NoSQL Database - Not Only SQL Database
Many different types:
- key-value stores
- document databases
- wide-column stores
- graph databases

26. MongoDB - SQL vs NoSQL
SQL Databases
- Individual records stored
as rows in tables
- Structure and data types
fixed in advance
- Transactional
- Consistent
NoSQL Databases
- Document: table-and-
row model stored in
single document
- Dynamic structure
- Atomic operations
- Not all, MongoDB is
consistent

27. MongoDB - setup
It’s a node package:
Start database (from cmd):
npm install mongodb
https://www.mongodb.org/
mongod //service
mongo
default port is 27017

28. MongoDB - structure
Database
Collection Collection Collection
Document Document
SQL
Database
Database
Table
Row

29. MongoDB
var Mongo = require(“mongodb”).MongoClient;
//connect to ‘test’, if not exists, create it
Mongo.connect(“mongodb://localhost:27017/test”, function(err, db){
if(!err){ //We are connected
var collection = db.collection(‘users’);
//insert into collection, if not exists, create it
collection.insert({name:’Lionel’, apellidos:’Messi’}, function(err,
collection){});
collection.update({apellidos:’Messi’}, {$set:{name:’D10S’}});
collection.remove({apellidos:’Messi’});
}
});

30. MongoDB
var stream = db.find({apellidos:’Messi’}).stream();
stream.on(“data”, function(item){
//fired on each result found
});
stream.on(“end”, function() {
//fired when there is no more document to look for
});