API Development in JavaScript (Node.js): From Basics to Production

The book "API Development in JavaScript (Node.js)" is a comprehensive practical guide for those who want to learn how to build modern server-side applications on the Node.js platform. The author, Alexey Voronov, a senior developer with 8 years of experience, shares proven practices and real-world cases from commercial development.

What is this book about?

The book covers the full API creation cycle — from architecture design to deployment in a production environment. You will learn:

• How to design RESTful and GraphQL APIs following best practices
• How to work with the Express.js framework and its middleware
• How to implement authentication and authorization (JWT, OAuth 2.0)
• How to connect and configure databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis)
• How to handle errors and write unit tests
• How to document APIs using Swagger/OpenAPI
• How to optimize performance and scale the application
• How to deploy the project on a server (Docker, Nginx, PM2)

Who is this book for?

• Beginner JavaScript developers who want to transition from frontend to backend
• Full-stack developers looking to deepen their knowledge of the server side
• Junior developers preparing for a Node.js developer interview
• IT students studying modern web development technologies

What will you learn?

• How to properly organize project structure and modular architecture
• SOLID principles and design patterns in the context of Node.js
• How to work with asynchrony: promises, async/await, EventEmitter
• Methods for handling requests and data validation
• How to implement pagination, filtering, and sorting
• Caching and Rate Limiting methods for DDoS protection
• Logging and monitoring in production

Each chapter contains practical examples, ready-to-use code snippets, and exercises to reinforce the material. By the end of the book, you will create a full-fledged API for an online store with support for real payments, which you can showcase in your portfolio.

The book is suitable both for self-study and for use as a reference in daily work. All code examples are available in an open repository on GitHub.