Why Advance your Express JS for Backend Development?
Rich and interactive web applications are highly sought after by users on the Internet worldwide. There seems to be no doubt that businesses fight tooth and nail to get on par with the existing competition. 
And for that matter, the customer engagement you see on app interfaces to make them shine the way they do owes to the tech behind – on the backend. The work on the backend is what manifests on the front end making apps work without failures.
Even while users do not directly interact with the backend, its role is quintessential. So is the idea of choosing the best backend framework! Today we’ve picked Express JS, the fast and minimalist framework for Node.js web apps. Express stays true to its name in terms of quicker and easy app development. With a JavaScript and HTML foundation, you can build a single-page, multi-page, or hybrid web application with the full support of Express JS.
It acts as an overlay with brilliant features for a web app without interrupting Node.js features. For instance. as a framework running on Node, you enjoy the benefit of flexibility with the modules in npm (Node Package Manager) which can be plugged into Express for use. Certainly, this minimalistic, unopinionated, and “no best way” of doing things is one of the huge benefits of choosing Express.js for backend development.
Matchless Features of Express.js
Express JS framework is a must-have tool in any developer’s toolbox and you wouldn’t deny it if you saw the amazing features of Express JS at work. A large fraction of web apps written in Node.js is using Express as their server framework. But why would you choose to go with Express to create a basic HTTP server with Node when you can use the built-in HTTP module? It is simply because Express is like your friend in need that provides a collection of common settings, utilities, and other tools without any restrictions on how to use them. We’ll extend our discussion to these distinct features and tools:
Routing
It is the process of identifying what code needs to run corresponding to a request received by the server. The routing mechanism is achieved by combining the URLs of your webpage and the HTTP method of the request. Using Express JS Routing your application will detect requests that can go with a specified route and method, and on finding a match it calls the particular callback function.
Middleware
An Express application can be considered a series of middleware function calls. It is a part of the program that gets executed during the request/response lifecycle. It has access to the request object (req), the response object (res), and other middlewares which are denoted by the variable “next”. It can carry out a wide variety of operations like bringing changes to request/response objects, completing the request-response cycle, or calling the next middleware in the respective stack.
Request/Response System
If you’ve worked with Express JS then you might have seen the “req” (client request) and “res” (server response) terms everywhere in the process. These are the two parts that form an HTTP transaction – the request received by the server and the response in return. This feature comes with an extra dose of the ease with Express JS. The Node.js http module has a built-in Request and Response object that completes the transaction quickly.
Template Engines
This feature eases the burden of designing an HTML page. The Template Engine in Express lets you use static template files which will later replace the variables in it with actual values during runtime. The end result is a template-transformed HTML file ready to send.
Knowing Express JS for Enterprises – More Benefits?
The benefits of using Express.js for backend development are all-inclusive of the features we discussed above and some more general praiseworthy claims that Express enjoys. Most importantly its flexible features like request handling, flash negotiations, and request views make it pivotal in enterprise app development. Imagine, if Express.js can play the right cards for enterprise applications, would it go faulty with apps of other kinds? Here give a glance at the following benefits :
- It’s JavaScript! – The straightforward reason for the excellent performance comes from its ownership of JavaScript. And since JavaScript syntax is relatively easy to learn so is the same applies to the Express JS web application framework. The unlimited scope of JS is also a measure of the full breadth of functionalities and features in Express.
- Large Community – Express JS by far remains the most popular framework coupled to work with Node.js. And when developers burn their midnight oil to boost the functionality of Node.js, Express.js is not going to fall behind in the race by any means. Plenty of knowledge and middleware are made available to extend the capabilities of Express.js for backend development. Express JS also gets the opportunity to leverage the best out of numerous Node.js modules in its ecosystem. And for that matter, Express is the best choice to proceed. Enterprises would certainly not want to work on a framework that came from nowhere and ceased to develop with time.
- Build REST APIs- REST APIs enable the creation of public-facing APIs to easily integrate features into the apps and achieve scalability. Under Node JS, the Express JS API development greatly simplifies the whole task of building the REST API backend. Say hello to a worriless expansion of your customer base and sales!
- Build Mobile Apps-With an increasing number of mobile app users, enterprises are realizing that the mobile app market is simply too competitive. A wrong move can lead to frustration and brand-damaging mistakes. Considering Express JS Mobile app development is an informed decision you can ever make. Apps built using Node.js are accelerated into their superior form with Express. It offers customizability and configuration matching the demands of the client. Also, it leads in terms of productivity based on the number of requests processed per second.
- Google V8 Engine- Node.js is built on Chrome V8 engine allowing for code execution within and outside of a browser. The fast and powerful V8 engine is also going to help Express js get the most mileage without any lag or error in processing.
- Full-stack capability – Express JS is an intelligent full-stack player allowing developers to use one language on both sides. This in turn leads to an expenditure cut down with just a single developer juggling between data access and presentation. After all, this is what enterprises need – a rapid time to create visibility in the market.
What does it take to make a production-ready Node & Express App?
Many a time, the absence of a guideline/rule in Express.js tend to misguide people into thinking that their apps will work as well in any structure. But a growing codebase also burdens you with long route handlers.
In that case, It’s not right to find your nose buried in bug fixing and patching most of the time. 
But the good news is that you can still develop a structure that will grow and also sustain its simplicity. In short, let’s figure out the best way to set up an Express app. This can be achieved gracefully using certain special characteristics of Express as well as some error-handling functionalities. First of all, the MVC architecture will help in parallel development with the view and business logic working side by side. This can be done with the support of all the features we discussed in the previous section- middleware, routes, models, and so on.
Before you even begin to think of bug fixing, you need to avoid using synchronous code/blocking code which will increase the response time of your high-traffic website. Now, the first step of exceptional error handling if it exists is by using promises. Substituting promises with callbacks will help you solve errors in asynchronous code blocks. The second is the use of try-catch-the traditional method used to catch exceptions in asynchronous code.
Other ways include logging or the use of a module like “debug”. Next is to set the NODE_ENV variable to “production”, specifying the environment in which the app is running. This step brings profound changes to Express JS’s ability to generate fewer error messages, generate CSS files, and cache view templates. The final step comes down to choosing a process manager like PM2, StrongLoop, or Forever and later running the app in clusters of processes so that the load is equally distributed.
Watch Over These Express.js Facts!
Some things are better done than said. In the case of technology, this cannot be agreed more. Since your backend has the capacity to make or break your business, it is important to consider validating how many of the claims made about Express JS for backend web applications are indeed true. So, here’s a reality check!
- Since Express.js is a de facto framework for Node.js, it is integrated into the backends of global brands like Netflix, Walmart, LinkedIn, eBay, Groupon, Yahoo, and many more.
- Out of all the industries that leverage the Express.js framework, Computer Software and Real Estate tops the list.
- Reportedly, more than 34,000 companies use Express.js, out of which most of them are segregated in the United States.
- Out of these, 52% of companies are small-sized, 26% medium-sized and 22% large-sized.
Upgrade your Backends with Express.js Consulting at Pattem Digital!
Anchor on a refined journey as your pursuit for bespoke Express JS development services concludes at our threshold. Pattem Digital adds a whole new dimension to your Node.js backends, harnessing the robust and streamlined Express framework. Irrespective of your industry, our Express app projects encompass a vast array of world-class features and functionalities. To embrace the finest Express.js solutions within an accelerated sprint, reach out to us for inquiries!
