To run a Node.js application on MacOS, follow these three steps. Open Terminal by pressing Command+Space to open Spotlight Search and entering terminal into the search box. Enter the following command, then press Return to create a file named test-node.js containing a simple application that will print out the result 1 + 1.
- Node Js Install
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- Install Node Js On Mac
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Node.js is required for using many JavaScript tools and for creating server-side JavaScript applications. Here is how you install Node.js on a Mac.
The first thing you should do is check to see if you have a version of Node.js already installed. To do that:
- Open the Terminal by pressing Command+Space to open Spotlight Search and entering
Terminal
then pressing Enter. - Enter
node - v
in the Terminal and press Enter. - If you do have Node.js installed, it will output the version.
- Update to the latest version using
npm i -g npm
. If you get a bunch ofcheckPermissions
warnings, you should run the command as the superuser like this:sudo npm i -g npm
- You now have the latest version installed. You do not need to continue with these instructions.
- Update to the latest version using
- If you do not have Node.js installed, it will output something like
-bash: node: command not found
. Continue with these instructions to install it. - Go to nodejs.org. You'll see download links for MacOS. If you are using Node.js for a Webucator class, you should select the LTS version. The Current version has the latest features, but may be more prone to changes and bugs than the LTS (Long Term Support) version.
- When the file finishes downloading, locate it in Finder and double-click on it.
- Go through the entire installation process.
- When installation is complete, open the Terminal by pressing Command+Space to open Spotlight Search and entering
Terminal
then pressing Enter. - Enter
node - v
in the Terminal to verify that Node.js is installed correctly and to see the version of Node.js that was installed.
If a version was output, then you're all set.
- This Node.js serving option is useful for serving a simple app that does mainly front-end work. Keeping Servers Running with forever. Another scenario arises when you have a running Node.js server that you want to keep running automatically. Forever will help you keep Node servers running even after the operating system is rebooted.
- Mar 19, 2013 The great thing about the Mac Installer Package is that it also installs Node Package Manager (npm) which, in the past, used to be a separate install. The default installation path for npm is /usr/local/bin/npm. Install Verification To verify that Node.js was installed successfully, open up terminal and execute the following: node -v.
- Also, thanks to its support for asynchronous execution, Node.js excels at I/O-intensive tasks, which is what makes it so suitable for the web. Real-time applications, like video streaming, or applications that continuously send and receive data, can run more efficiently when written in Node.js.
- A Node.js runtime environment. In-app web browser with various developer tools (console, node browser, source code viewer and layers inspector). Project templates for React.js, Vue.js and Next.js web apps powered by Webpack, Express and Babel.
Hello World with a Node.js Server
Did you know that there are multiple ways to start a Node.js server and keep it running? In this post, we will explore various ways to start an HTTP Node server.
A Node.js server makes your app available to serve HTTP requests. It provides the interaction between users and your application.
Creating and starting a server is easy with Node.js's built-in
http
module.Node Js Install
In a file app.js, create and save the following server-creation code:
In your terminal, run the command:
and visit
http://localhost:3000
in your browser.You should see that our server is running, and you are greeted with the text 'Hello, World!' in your browser. We created an instance of an HTTP server using the built-in
http
module. This is a simple but highly powerful server that can handle requests, issue responses and a whole lot more.We can see the additional power of the basic HTTP server by extending it as follows to stream a video file. First, in the same directory with your
app.js
file, create a new directory named assets. Inside assets, place an mp4 video file of your choice. Then adjust the new code listing below to replace my video name with your exact video name.Now, when you restart the server and visit the app in the browser, you will see that our server is now streaming a video file.
Other Options for Starting a Server with Node.js
Using Other Server Modules
We can also start a Node server using the server npm module. Note that this module requires Node version 7.6.0 or later. Mac how to set default application for file types.
In a fresh project, install the module with the command
npm install server --save
. Then create a file app.js
with the following contents:Run the server with
In your browser, you should see the 'Hello world!' text.
If all you want is a Node.js server to serve HTML and serve static files without you coding anything for the server, Node has a solution for that as well. In this case you need to install the http-server zero-configuration, command-line server to serve your files.
To use
http-server
, install it with the command npm install http-server -g
. How to open two instances of an app mac.In a fresh directory, create a child directory named public in which we will place static files for
http-server
to serve. Create a static HTML file inside this public directory named index.html with the following contents:Then you can run the
http-server
using the command:Visit http://localhost:8081 to verify that the server is running and serves our file with the 'Hello World' message. This Node.js serving option is useful for serving a simple app that does mainly front-end work.
Keeping Servers Running with forever
Another scenario arises when you have a running Node.js server that you want to keep running automatically. forever will help you keep Node servers running even after the operating system is rebooted. It also restarts your app after a crash, making it useful for monitoring and restarting Node servers.
Keep Servers Running with PM2
PM2 is an alternative to forever that keeps apps running between server restarts. It also has a built-in load balancer for improved uptime. It is a bit more powerful, but also complicated, so it may not be suited for beginners.
How Frameworks Help to Start a Node Server
Besides the options for running servers we discussed above, you can also run a server using code provided by the framework itself. Frameworks bring advantages like good default conventions and the ability to develop fast without writing common software routines from scratch.
A list of the most popular Node frameworks based on GitHub stars includes the following:
In the following sections we will show how to start a Node server using a few of these popular options.
Framework 1: Starting a Node Server with Express
Express is the most well-known minimalist web framework for Node.js. It is suited for all kinds of apps from small to large. Because it leaves most of the choices to the developer, it's good for seasoned developers.
To get started, create a new project folder with a file inside it named app.js.
Next, install Express with the following:
Now update app.js as follows to start a Node server using Express.
Run the server with the command:
and visit
http://localhost:3000
to see the Express server in action.Framework 2: Starting a Node Server with Koa.js
Koa is a minimalist framework by the makers of Express. It aims to be simpler, even less opinionated, and more expressive. As such, it is recommended for developers who want a more purist approach than even Express provides.
Install Koa with:
Create the following minimal Koa app inside a new file, app.js.
Run this server by executing:
Then visit http://localhost:3000 in your browser to see the server running. You will be greeted by the same response text as we saw when running the Express server.
Framework 3: Node a Server with Socket.io
Socket.io is a real-time Node framework. It is particularly advantageous when you are developing messaging and chat applications. The platform works equally well for other apps involving bidirectional, event-based calls.
Create a new project and install Socket.io with the command:
Also install Express, which we'll use to integrate with Socket.io, using the command:
Then create a file index.js with the following:
What this does is create a socket.io instance attached to our Express server. When clients connect to the socket, our socket.io server sends back a 'Hello, World' greeting over the socket connection. To see the results, run the following command:
Framework 4: Server with Diet.js
Diet.js is a micro-framework for writing modular Node.js apps and APIs. It allows creating of virtual hosts and other cool features. You will want to consider it as an alternative to minimalist frameworks like Express. The core of the framework is only 450 SLOC. It integrates with a wide variety of middleware that runs on Node.js.
To start a server using Diet.js, create a new project and install Diet.js with:
Then, create a source file
index.js
with the following code:Start the server with the command:
And then visit http://localhost:3000 to view the server running.
Diet.js has a simple API, combining many concepts from Express in a simpler API and implementation. This reduces the learning curve for developing a simple app. If you have a bigger app in mind, more structured frameworks like Sails.js might suit you better.
Framework 5: Starting a Node Server with Sails.js
Sails is the Node.js answer to full-featured MVC frameworks like Ruby on Rails. Its use of Node.js real-time capabilities makes it a fit for apps using websockets and messaging. It comes with blueprints that make it easy to quickly prototype a backend with very little code.
Let's create a fresh new directory and install Sails with the following:
This installs Sails globally on your system. Then, create a Sails app with the command
$ sails new helloapp
. Inside the newly created helloapp
folder, run the Sails server with the command:Visit http://localhost:1337 to see the app served locally.
Sails generated a complete app with the
sails new
command. The app is initialized in the file app.js, which has the following generated contents:The initialization code imports Sails, then loads the application and starts the Sails server.
Sails has the advantage of being particularly fast and scalable. In this benchmark against Rails, Sails performed as much as 3x-4x as fast. The performance-critical part of Sails for apps at scale tends to be the database, where pagination and indexes can be used to speed things up.
Framework 6: Using MEAN.io for a Node Server
How To Run Node Js App Mac Pro
MEAN.io is one of the more well-known full-stack JavaScript frameworks. It is one variant of the so-called 'MEAN Stack', with MEAN.js being another variant. MEAN uses MongoDB, Express, Angular and Node.js.
To start a MEAN.io app, clone the reference implementation of the MEAN.io model app using the command:
Suggested Course: Master the MEAN Stack - Learn By Example
You can alternatively clone into another directory of your choice. Then change into the new mean directory or your chosen directory, and install dependencies with: Mac app store download free.
Run the application with
npm start
and visit http://localhost:4040 to see it in action.The code for setting up the server is found in the file
serverconfigexpress.js
which contains the following:At the heart of the MEAN stack is an Express server that uses Node middleware such as bodyParser for processing request payloads, winston for request logging and helmet for securing HTTP requests.
Install Node Js On Mac
The advantages of MEAN include being based on robust technologies that have proven ability to power high traffic apps. The reference app integrates MongoDB as well as Angular and React. It uses Typescript as well, along with some example components so that you can use them as a launching point. If you don't need a certain library, you can drop it from the dependencies in the package.json file. https://renewtrans963.weebly.com/blog/fitbit-app-will-not-open-on-mac.
Framework 7: Start a Node Server with LoopBack, the API Framework
Loopback is a Node framework that lets you build API-focused apps fast. It has automated parts of the API-creation process, making it possible to generate RESTful APIs with little to no coding. Loopback combines a set of modules that you can integrate as your app requirements grow. This lets you build apps in a modular way using standard Loopback modules.
You can install Loopback globally with the command:
To create a project, run
lb
, which will walk you through the creation of a basic Loopback application.Pick the
hello-world
app, to include a simple message and controller. The other options are to create an API, or a project containing a basic working example with a memory database.Going with the
hello-world
app type generates a basic app. Inside the file 'server/server.js' you will find the following generated code:This code initializes the Loopback server, which you can start with the command
node
. Visit http://localhost:3000 to verify the server is running. You can also look at http://localhost:3000/explorer to view the Loopback API interface.Our API is empty to begin with. Creating a new model and REST endpoints is easy with the Loopback CLI. Run the command
lb model
and type a model name such as 'movie', but without the quotes.Then adjust the values for persistence and other setup according to the prompt or accept the defaults.
Create some properties of the model and define the data types. For example, a movie can have a title which will be a string. Enter as many properties as you'd like, and then finish.
Now we have an API for movies, which you can access with a GET request to http://localhost:3000/api/movies. This will return an empty JSON array. You can explore the API with the API explorer at http://localhost:3000/explorer.
Create some movies and then interact with the API in the browser to see the Loopback server in action. Also, look at the generated source code for the API. Loopback makes developing APIs really easy.
Choosing the Best Node Server for your App
Update Node Js Mac
Choosing the best way for serving your Node.js application involves a series of trade-offs. Rolling your own framework based on the
http
module is practical, given the wide range of middle-ware you can integrate with a Node app. This path gives you the ability to make all the choices yourself about how your app will work.Going with a framework such as Socket.io or Sails lets you build on a tested foundation that others have used successfully. The wide range of frameworks also makes it possible for you to reuse code from these libraries to get started a bit faster.
The trade-off with frameworks, particularly opinionated ones like Sails, is that some of the technical choices are already made for you. If you want something outside the norm of what the framework is optimized for, you could have a hard time. Koa and Express offer a safe middle ground where very few choices or assumptions about your app have been made.
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Here is a quick guide to selecting the framework that lets you build effectively depending on your app's needs:
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App Description | Suggested Framework |
---|---|
No assumptions, minimalist approach, modular | Diet.js, Koa, Express |
Large codebase, fits certain conventions, scalable | MEAN.io |
Chat, messaging | Socket.io |
Ready-made blueprints and very strong conventions, API-focused, some 'magic' | Sails.js, Loopback |