Updated:2/27/2017.
Anyone who has spent any time developing enterprise Java applications knows what a time-consuming process it is just to create and configure an application server. So when something comes along that makes creating a server fast and simple you got to fall in love with it. Node.js with Express does that. If you’re unfamiliar with Node.js or Express, the previous links will give you an overview of the products. To better understand the backing behind the Node movement, here’s a short list of websites that currently use it. Impressive.
Ready to get started? Here’s how to set up your first server in a few simple steps:
- Change the ownership of your /usr/local directory to avoid any issues with Brew later. Open a command window and type the following command. It will then prompt you for your Mac password.
$ sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local - Next ensure you have Xcode installed and it is updated to the latest version. Go to the Apple menu and select “Software Update…”. Update Xcode if needed.
- Install the Xcode command line utilities if you haven’t already. Open a terminal window and type:
$ xcode-select --install
- We’ll use Brew to install Node. Depending on your version of Mac OS, Brew might already be installed. Let’s make sure it is installed and up to date. In the terminal window type:
$ brew update
- If you don’t have Brew installed, install it using this command:
$ ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
- Follow the directions on screen if you run into errors with XCode licensing.
$ brew update ==> Migrating Homebrew to v0.9.9 Error: You have not agreed to the Xcode license. Please resolve this by running: sudo xcodebuild -license
- Now let’s use Brew Doctor to ensure the system is in good shape. In the terminal window type:
$ brew doctor
- You should see a list of any outdated libraries or other warnings. You may need to install or update xQuartz as Brew will hate you if you don’t. You can choose to fix any other reported issues now or do it later.
Please note that these warnings are just used to help the Homebrew maintainers with debugging if you file an issue. If everything you use Homebrew for is working fine: please don't worry and just ignore them. Thanks! Warning: Your XQuartz (2.7.5) is outdated. Please install XQuartz 2.7.9 (or delete the current version). XQuartz can be updated using Homebrew-Cask by running brew cask reinstall xquartz Warning: You have MacPorts or Fink installed: /Users/Rick/.rvm/bin/port, /opt/local/bin/port This can cause trouble. You don't have to uninstall them, but you may want to temporarily move them out of the way, e.g. sudo mv /opt/local ~/macports Warning: Broken symlinks were found. Remove them with `brew prune`: /usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/brew_bash_completion.sh /usr/local/opt/bash-completion /usr/local/opt/python3 /usr/local/opt/rabbitmq /usr/local/opt/ssh-copy-id /usr/local/opt/wget
- Now let’s finally install Node.js and npm. In that same terminal window, type:
$ brew install node
- Both node and npm should now be installed. Check this by typing the following in the terminal:
$ node -v v0.10.33 $ npm -v 2.1.11
- Now add the following paths to your environment. Type the following in the terminal:
-
$ export NODE_PATH="/usr/local/lib/node" $ export PATH="/usr/local/share/npm/bin:$PATH"
- So far so good? Good, let’s install Express now. In the terminal, type:
$
npm install -g express-generator - Great! So at this point Node, npm, and Express should all be installed. Let’s create your first app. First create a directory for your app in your home directory:
$ cd ~ $ mkdir myApp
- Now let’s use Express to generate the framework for the app. In the terminal, type:
$
express --css stylus myApp - Now build myApp by using npm to install all the dependencies. In the terminal type:
$ cd myApp $ npm install
- Express will generate several folders and files within your myApp folder. You can use npm to verify this:
$ npm ls myapp@0.0.0 /Users/Rick/dev/myApp ├─┬ body-parser@1.16.1 │ ├── bytes@2.4.0 │ ├── content-type@1.0.2 │ ├── depd@1.1.0 │ ├─┬ http-errors@1.5.1 │ │ ├── inherits@2.0.3 │ │ ├── setprototypeof@1.0.2 │ │ └── statuses@1.3.1 │ ├── iconv-lite@0.4.15 │ ├─┬ on-finished@2.3.0 │ │ └── ee-first@1.1.1 │ ├── qs@6.2.1 │ ├─┬ raw-body@2.2.0 │ │ └── unpipe@1.0.0 │ └─┬ type-is@1.6.14 │ ├── media-typer@0.3.0 │ └─┬ mime-types@2.1.14 │ └── mime-db@1.26.0 ├─┬ cookie-parser@1.4.3 │ ├── cookie@0.3.1 │ └── cookie-signature@1.0.6 ├─┬ debug@2.6.1 │ └── ms@0.7.2 ├─┬ express@4.14.1 │ ├─┬ accepts@1.3.3 │ │ ├─┬ mime-types@2.1.14 │ │ │ └── mime-db@1.26.0 │ │ └── negotiator@0.6.1 │ ├── array-flatten@1.1.1 │ ├── content-disposition@0.5.2 │ ├── content-type@1.0.2 │ ├── cookie@0.3.1 │ ├── cookie-signature@1.0.6 │ ├─┬ debug@2.2.0 │ │ └── ms@0.7.1 │ ├── depd@1.1.0 │ ├── encodeurl@1.0.1 │ ├── escape-html@1.0.3 │ ├── etag@1.7.0 │ ├─┬ finalhandler@0.5.1 │ │ ├── statuses@1.3.1 │ │ └── unpipe@1.0.0 │ ├── fresh@0.3.0 │ ├── merge-descriptors@1.0.1 │ ├── methods@1.1.2 │ ├─┬ on-finished@2.3.0 │ │ └── ee-first@1.1.1 │ ├── parseurl@1.3.1 │ ├── path-to-regexp@0.1.7 │ ├─┬ proxy-addr@1.1.3 │ │ ├── forwarded@0.1.0 │ │ └── ipaddr.js@1.2.0 │ ├── qs@6.2.0 │ ├── range-parser@1.2.0 │ ├─┬ send@0.14.2 │ │ ├── destroy@1.0.4 │ │ ├─┬ http-errors@1.5.1 │ │ │ ├── inherits@2.0.3 │ │ │ └── setprototypeof@1.0.2 │ │ ├── mime@1.3.4 │ │ ├── ms@0.7.2 │ │ └── statuses@1.3.1 │ ├── serve-static@1.11.2 │ ├─┬ type-is@1.6.14 │ │ ├── media-typer@0.3.0 │ │ └─┬ mime-types@2.1.14 │ │ └── mime-db@1.26.0 │ ├── utils-merge@1.0.0 │ └── vary@1.1.0 ├─┬ jade@1.11.0 │ ├── character-parser@1.2.1 │ ├─┬ clean-css@3.4.25 │ │ ├─┬ commander@2.8.1 │ │ │ └── graceful-readlink@1.0.1 │ │ └─┬ source-map@0.4.4 │ │ └── amdefine@1.0.1 │ ├── commander@2.6.0 │ ├─┬ constantinople@3.0.2 │ │ └── acorn@2.7.0 │ ├─┬ jstransformer@0.0.2 │ │ ├── is-promise@2.1.0 │ │ └─┬ promise@6.1.0 │ │ └── asap@1.0.0 │ ├─┬ mkdirp@0.5.1 │ │ └── minimist@0.0.8 │ ├─┬ transformers@2.1.0 │ │ ├─┬ css@1.0.8 │ │ │ ├── css-parse@1.0.4 │ │ │ └── css-stringify@1.0.5 │ │ ├─┬ promise@2.0.0 │ │ │ └── is-promise@1.0.1 │ │ └─┬ uglify-js@2.2.5 │ │ ├─┬ optimist@0.3.7 │ │ │ └── wordwrap@0.0.3 │ │ └─┬ source-map@0.1.43 │ │ └── amdefine@1.0.1 │ ├─┬ uglify-js@2.7.5 │ │ ├── async@0.2.10 │ │ ├── source-map@0.5.6 │ │ ├── uglify-to-browserify@1.0.2 │ │ └─┬ yargs@3.10.0 │ │ ├── camelcase@1.2.1 │ │ ├─┬ cliui@2.1.0 │ │ │ ├─┬ center-align@0.1.3 │ │ │ │ ├─┬ align-text@0.1.4 │ │ │ │ │ ├─┬ kind-of@3.1.0 │ │ │ │ │ │ └── is-buffer@1.1.4 │ │ │ │ │ ├── longest@1.0.1 │ │ │ │ │ └── repeat-string@1.6.1 │ │ │ │ └── lazy-cache@1.0.4 │ │ │ ├─┬ right-align@0.1.3 │ │ │ │ └─┬ align-text@0.1.4 │ │ │ │ ├─┬ kind-of@3.1.0 │ │ │ │ │ └── is-buffer@1.1.4 │ │ │ │ ├── longest@1.0.1 │ │ │ │ └── repeat-string@1.6.1 │ │ │ └── wordwrap@0.0.2 │ │ ├── decamelize@1.2.0 │ │ └── window-size@0.1.0 │ ├── void-elements@2.0.1 │ └─┬ with@4.0.3 │ ├── acorn@1.2.2 │ └─┬ acorn-globals@1.0.9 │ └── acorn@2.7.0 ├─┬ morgan@1.7.0 │ ├── basic-auth@1.0.4 │ ├─┬ debug@2.2.0 │ │ └── ms@0.7.1 │ ├── depd@1.1.0 │ ├─┬ on-finished@2.3.0 │ │ └── ee-first@1.1.1 │ └── on-headers@1.0.1 ├─┬ serve-favicon@2.3.2 │ ├── etag@1.7.0 │ ├── fresh@0.3.0 │ ├── ms@0.7.2 │ └── parseurl@1.3.1 └─┬ stylus@0.54.5 ├── css-parse@1.7.0 ├─┬ glob@7.0.6 │ ├── fs.realpath@1.0.0 │ ├─┬ inflight@1.0.6 │ │ └── wrappy@1.0.2 │ ├── inherits@2.0.3 │ ├─┬ minimatch@3.0.3 │ │ └─┬ brace-expansion@1.1.6 │ │ ├── balanced-match@0.4.2 │ │ └── concat-map@0.0.1 │ ├─┬ once@1.4.0 │ │ └── wrappy@1.0.2 │ └── path-is-absolute@1.0.1 ├─┬ mkdirp@0.5.1 │ └── minimist@0.0.8 ├── sax@0.5.8 └─┬ source-map@0.1.43 └── amdefine@1.0.1
- All that is left now is to start the server. In the terminal type:
$
npm start> myapp@0.0.0 start /Users/Rick/dev/myApp > node ./bin/www
- Open a browser and enter the url: localhost:3000. Voila!
The pragmatic developer 
Can you ttell us more about this? I’d care to find
out more details.
This worked GREAT! My only issue (but I’m picky) was a warning that followed after running “brew doctor” stating that “/usr/local/lib isn’t writable” I found this article on stack overflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14527521/brew-doctor-says-warning-usr-local-include-isnt-writable/34405333#34405333
By following the stack overflow advice I used “sudo chown -R JonJames:admin /usr/local/lib” to fix the problem- running “brew doctor” again returned “Your system is ready to brew.”
The syntax to fix your “brew doctor” Warnings may be different in term of the path you use: I used “lib” at the end of my path, others have used things like “bin” or “include” in the path to fix the issue, the Warning it prints in the terminal should explain to you which path is not writable, however the syntax that Homebrew suggests in the Warning seems to be off, it will require a “:” to run correctly, if it does run correctly it should prompt you for your system admin password within the terminal before performing the chown operation..
ruby -e “$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)”
sudo npm install -g express-generator
Tutorials like this are very unclear. I folloed every step as described. At th end I use http://localhost:3000 an get this “Safari cannot connect to the server” Throught other forumes i found out
it should be :
npm install -g express-generator
brfore
npm install -g express
And the url for this link
ruby <(curl -fsSkL raw.github.com/mxcl/homebrew/go)
yeild to an error
curl: (22) The requested URL returned error: 400 Bad Request
Also npm ls:
look nothing like the "Author" said and yeild a bunch of missing dependencies:
npm ERR! missing: body-parser@~1.16.0, required by myapp@0.0.0
npm ERR! missing: cookie-parser@~1.4.3, required by myapp@0.0.0
npm ERR! missing: debug@~2.6.0, required by myapp@0.0.0
npm ERR! missing: express@~4.14.1, required by myapp@0.0.0
npm ERR! missing: jade@~1.11.0, required by myapp@0.0.0
npm ERR! missing: morgan@~1.7.0, required by myapp@0.0.0
npm ERR! missing: serve-favicon@~2.3.2, required by myapp@0.0.0
If the author doesn't know what he's talking about, DON'T write an artical like this, it serves no purpose but to obfuscate newbiees like me as well as many others!
Welcome to the wonderful and often frustrating world of ever-changing tech. This tutorial was originally written way back in 2013. Much has changed since then and updates to commands were provided in the comments section. I’m glad you were able to get it working. -RC
Top tutorial, thanks for posting!
Reblogged this on Koynonia!.
Worked my way through and enjoyed the successful Mucho Gusto .. Bueno Dias.. LOL
Thanks bunches .. UDEMY was going to bilk me for $20 to do what you provided..
Thanks