RESTful Web API Design with Node.js - Second Edition

Key Features

• Create a fully featured RESTful API solution from scratch.
• Learn how to leverage Node.JS, Express, MongoDB and NoSQL datastores to give an extra edge to your REST API design.
• Use this practical guide to integrate MongoDB in your Node.js application.

Book Description

In this era of cloud computing, every data provisioning solution is built in a scalable and fail-safe way. Thus, when building RESTful services, the right choice for the underlying platform is vital. Node.js, with its asynchronous, event-driven architecture, is exactly the right choice to build RESTful APIs.

This book will help you enrich your development skills to create scalable, server-side, RESTful applications based on the Node.js platform.

Starting with the fundamentals of REST, you will understand why RESTful web services are better data provisioning solution than other technologies. You will start setting up a development environment by installing Node.js, Express.js, and other modules. Next, you will write a simple HTTP request handler and create and test Node.js modules using automated tests and mock objects. You will then have to choose the most appropriate data storage type, having options between a key/value or document data store, and also you will implement automated tests for it. This module will evolve chapter by chapter until it turns into a full-fledged and secure Restful service.

What you will learn

• Install, develop, and test your own Node.js user modules
• Comprehend the differences between an HTTP and a RESTful application
• Optimize RESTful service URI routing with best practices
• Eliminate third-party dependencies in your tests with mocking
• Learn about NoSQL data stores and integrate MongoDB in your Node.js application with Mongoose
• Secure your services with NoSQL database integration within Node.js applications
• Enrich your development skills to create scalable, server-side, RESTful applications based on the Node.js platform

About the Author

Valentin Bojinov studied computer programming at the Technological School of Electronic Systems in Sofia, Bulgaria, a college within the Technical University of Sofia. He was introduced to programming there and realized that his career would be in research and development. He holds a BSc in telecommunication and information engineering. Then, his interest in data transmission grew, and he ventured into B2B (business-to-business) communication. He is currently pursuing his MSc in software development. Valentin is an expert in Java, SOAP, RESTful web services, and B2B integration.

A few years after he started his career as a .NET developer, he realized that B2B and SOA were his passion. He then moved to SAP, where he contributed to the development of the web services stack of the SAP JEE platform. He currently works as a senior Java developer for the Bulgarian branch of Seeburger AG, a leader in the B2B and MFT solutions market. There, he develops and maintains several B2B communication adapters, including web services and SAP adapters.

Table of Contents

1. REST – What You Did Not Know
2. Getting Started with Node.js
3. Building a Typical Web API
4. Using NoSQL Databases
5. Implementing a Fully-Fledged RESTful Service
6. Keeping the Bad Guys Out