First off, I'm relatively new to Rails and Node.js development, so please forgive me if my explanation lacks the correct terminology.
I'm using Sinatra for the routing and API because its easy for me to understand vs. writing the API in something like Express. For the client side, I'm using React and making calls to the Sinatra API to get the data.
During development, I run the Sinatra backend on a port (running rackup. And separately run the client side w/ Express on a separate port. I use gulp to transpile the jsx.
What I'm wondering is if this workflow makes sense? Is there an easier way in which I could build everything using rackup including transpiling the jsx?
Would I be better off just building the front and backend API using Express?
Related
Ok, so my question is actually a bit more complex.
I know how to develop Node.js apps using Express.js. I also know how to build React apps. The problem is putting it together. I've seen many tutorials do it, but they just use the Express backend as if it was an API.
I don't know if this is the best option, but I'd like to have my Node app, and then in the frontend add React. The main difference is that when it comes to handling the URLs, it will be Node who would do it. Therefore, if Node is on port 3000, you would have to go to localhost:3000 to access the website, opposite the guides I've found online.
I would really appreciate some help, as well as other resources as documentation or videos online.
NextJS seems to be a good approach for your situation.
It binds a Nodejs backend with a react frontend with an intuitive developer experience.
It has middleware, handles server-side rendering, code splitting, and routing for you. It also provides a development server that allows you to run your application on a specific port (e.g. 3000) and handle the routing on the server side.
You can serve the react build folder from your node server.
Check this link
From udemy React courses i could see Brad Traversy using create-react-app with node.js backend server and Andrei Neagoie using only create-react-app without node.js server to develop a full stack product.
I am seriously confused with when to use what?
Can any one explain me between these two scenarios? Please?
This is mostly related to how you want to structure your code. You can either :-
Set up your front-end and back-end code together. So, in your script tags in package.json, you will have something like 'nodemon server.js && react start' (refer package.json for exact syntax) to start both front-end and server with 'npm start'
Setting up front-end and back-end separately.
This is preferred for separation of concerns. In this case, you would start each separately.
Also, your front-end shouldn't be concerned about how your backend code has been written. It should only be dealing with backend using an API.
For ex: if in future, you wanted to change to Deno.js instead of node.js server, you would have make some modifications in package.json if you had front-end and back-end code written together in folder.
As far as deployment is concerned, in this case also, it will help if you kept the front-end and back-end code separately so you can deploy them separately.
React is used for frontend, while node.js is used for backend.
I think your confused because one is using react with node.js the other is using react alone.
Well React can be used for other backend other than node.js, like php for example.
This means you can create an app using react/php.
The reason Brad Traversy is using create-react-app with node.js because he wants to use node.js for his backend.
While Andrei Neagoie is using create-react-app without node.js because he either:
Don't want to use any backend.
He will add backend later on.
I want to build full-stack application with Nuxt.js. I am wondering where I should create my server-side inside Nuxt.js or maybe I should create separated project only for server stuff.
I am trying to set up my project but I do not know how I should do it. The application which I am building will have own front-end, back-end and also database (I will use MongoDB) but actually I do not know how I should start. I was reading a lot about SSR and Nuxt.js seems really good if am planing to use Vue.js on fronted. While creating nuxt app I can choose to use Express and then I can see server directory inside my directory structure does it mean that i should build all back-end inside this directory or maybe it is only for small stuff?
I have also another question what if I want to use Nest.js on back-end can i just use npm i -g #nestjs/cli and then nest new project-name inside my server directory ? I was looking also for this answer but almost all results in google for this type are about (comparison between Nuxt.js, Next.js and Nest.js).
It will be my first bigger full-stack project and I want to do it right but I am a really beginner in this so I am looking for answer from more experienced programmers.
You can run express or any node.js server you want inside Nuxt.js. When installing Nuxt.js with scaffolding tool create-nuxt-app, you can choose integrated server-side frameworks : Express, Koa, Hapi, Feathers, Micro, Fastify, Adonis (WIP). There isn't offical Nest.js integration, but you can easily find a starter kit on github.
With create-nuxt-app, if you choose to use any node.js server inside your nuxt app, you will see a server directory inside your directory structure, with the corresponding server-side pre-configured index.js file.
Here is my own feeling about it:
I think the inside solution make sense for a small SPA or Headless project (Ex: parse and serve files, a simple JWT Authentification, a small websocket server...), or for a front-end logic application that cannot fit in client browser and who are nothing to do with the database (like image or file computation).
But generally, this server run the database layer for your Nuxt application: a REST or GraphQL API. It can also run your business logic of your app, serve authentification, and more and more when project growth...
If you think about separation of concerns and microservices
architecture, do not use server inside Nuxt.js. Splitting both frontend and server will result more flexibility. You can host frontend and API in different servers.
So now, do nuxt.js really need a node.js server ?
Yes if you plan to use it in SSR mode, No if you plan to use it like a SPA or Static generated way. Docs here... .
In SSR mode, nuxt.js ask data to your API at the first rendering, and provide a complete SEO compatible page to the client browser or bots. It also provide all javascript that the browser need to navigate and fetch your API. For that, nuxt.js in SSR mode should run with node.js.
I assume you said "back-end" for your API and your business logic application, in this case, you should separate nuxt.js and your server. Two node.js instances to run both.
I'm absolute new to this topic. I want to learn Typescript using NodeJS and have some simple questions. NodeJS is working with Javascript, as far as I know, but how do you get an UI? Do you have to create a HTML/CSS Webpage and run it with Typescript? How do you get Images, Options, Buttons in Typescript? How are they implemented in the Code? I found a lot of Tutorials, but they just return "Hello World" and I don't think I have to "write" the whole page in an output in Typescript.
NodeJS is pure server side javascript, you wont build the UI with it, you would serve the html/css/js to the client, and maybe create an API to communicate with the client.
I assume you dont need an example how to create a Node project, as you stated to have read some tutorials about it.
For starters, i would advise to go for NodeJS plus Expressjs on the server, then maybe start to serve simple static websites (like a handwritten 'index.html'). Expressjs makes development especially in the beginning a lot easier. Serving static files would just need something like
app.use(express.static('public'))
..in your server code. If you navigate then to e.g. localhost:3000/test/route, it would look for the /test/route/index.html in your public folder (which should be in your project root)
Then use a framework for client side development.
If you want to use Typescript for the development of the client side of the app, you might want to look into Angular. It is pretty tightly bound to Typescript, but the learning curve is pretty harsh if you are a beginner with this. Other client side frameworks that work well with Typecsript pretty much out-of-the-box or via cli are Vue.js and React, just as examples.
I've been working on node,grunt,bower and yeoman from couple of months. I came across MEAN stack applications, in which expressjs is providing the server environment(my understanding). Are both grunt and express similar?
Requesting for some helpful link on express and MEAN stack.
Express is a webserver framework on top of nodejs (like symphony for php).
Grunt is an automation tool (like make or gulp) and not a webserver.
The only thing they have in common is, that they use the JavaScript programming language.
MEAN is a full stack environment for developing web applications. MEAN uses MongoDB as database backend, Express as webserver framework, AngularJs for the client side and all is based on NodeJs. When your application gets more complex and you need some sort of deployment procedure you may use Grunt to automate this.