Express Scaffolding

Scaffolding in the context of web development typically refers to generating a basic project structure with some predefined files and folders to help us get started quickly.

While there isn't a built-in scaffolding tool for Express.js provided by the framework itself, there are several community tools and generators that can assist us in setting up a basic project structure.

One popular tool is express-generator, which is a command-line tool that generates a basic Express.js application scaffold.

The `express-generator` library initial setup includes essential files like the entry file(www/bin) location, route files, configuration files, view templates, and more.

Benefits of Scaffolding:

Time-Saving: Scaffolding automates the initial setup process, saving developers time by providing a boilerplate codebase to start with.
Best Practices: Many scaffolding tools incorporate best practices and industry standards, helping developers follow recommended practices from the start.
Template Engines: Supports various template engines like EJS, Pug, and Handlebars, allowing developers to choose their preferred view engine.
Middleware: Sets up basic middleware configurations for request parsing, logging, error handling, and more.
Consistency: Scaffolding ensures consistency across projects by adhering to a standardized directory structure and coding practices.
Initial Files: Creates initial files like the main application file (app.js), route files, configuration files (package.json, package-lock.json), and more.
Directory Structure: Generates a well-organized directory structure with folders for models, views, controllers, routes, public assets, and more.

Install express-generator globally (if not installed already):

npm install -g express-generator

Create a new Express.js project:

The below command will create a directory named `first-express-app`.

Example:

express first-express-app

By default, "express-generator" creates a basic project structure with a sample route "routes/index.js", a sample view "views/index.pug", and a basic" app.js" file to configure and start the Express.js server.

bin/www: The entry point of the application.
app.js: The main application file where the Express.js app is initialized and configured.
public/: Contains static assets like images, JavaScript files, and stylesheets.
views/: Contains view templates using the Pug template engine.
routes/: Contains route definitions for different parts of the application.
package.json and package-lock.json: Files containing project metadata and dependencies.

Replace `first-express-app` with the desired name of your project.

Change to the project directory:

cd first-express-app

Install dependencies:

Example:

npm install

In the `first-express-app` folder, the `package.json` file exists so the below command `npm install` will install all the packages specified in package.json.

Start the server:

npm start

Now, our Express.js application is up and running. The above command will invoke `bin/www` file which was the entry point of the application.

`bin/www` will start the server on the defined `PORT`.

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