💡 Learn Express.js Properly: Part 1 From Basics to Advanced

This is an introductory course on Express.js that will help you learn the first steps of Node.js-based backend development in the most systematic way .
From basic server concepts to middleware, routing, templates, error handling, and real-world CRUD projects.
You will learn by writing code yourself, focusing on “why it works this way.”

✨ This lecture is structured like this

🧭 Section 1. The Beginning of the Journey

• Introduction to the lecture flow and setting goals

🏗 Section 2. Pre-Express: Building a Server from the Ground Up

• Basic network principles such as TCP, UDP, and HTTP

• Implementing a pure HTTP server directly with Node.js

• Understanding the concept of routing

• Serving static files directly (HTML, CSS, JS)

• Completely master the concept by implementing static middleware functions directly

⚙ Section 3. Express 101: Basics of Building a Web Server

• Express's basic structure, routing practice

• Utilizing Static Middleware

• Create your own custom middleware

• Understanding the flow of req and res objects

• Handling JSON and Form Data

• How to use Params and Query String

• A collection of middleware examples frequently used in practice

🏛 Section 4. Express 201: Structuring the View Engine and Router

• Understanding the difference between CSR and SSR and the flow of operations

• Rendering dynamic pages with EJS templates

• Practice EJS grammar such as conditional statements, loops, and include statements

• Separation and modularization of routers by functional unit

• Organizing various response methods (send, json, status, etc.)

• Hands-on experience with managing state through cookies

🚨 Section 5. Express 301: Error Handling and Exception Handling

• How to handle 404, 500 errors

• Error Middleware Design and Implementation

• Learn useful exception handling methods in practice

📝 Section 6. Memo Project: Mastering Express with CRUD

• Start by setting up the entire folder structure.

• Implementing membership registration, login, and logout functions

• Creating a Note List API based on login status

• Practice the entire CRUD process from creating, modifying, to deleting notes

• Custom middleware and exception handling logic that appear intermittently are also configured.

📌 Key features of this course

🔍 Design where all stages are connected, from concept → flow chart → practice → project

This is not a course that simply teaches grammar and functions.
How the server works and in what order the data flows.
Each flow is visualized in a diagram ,
It is structured so that you can directly connect the concepts to practice and make them completely your own.

Learn by following along to the end: “Why do I need this code?”

👀 A visually centered lecture where you can see and understand all concepts

All the concepts that appear in this lecture—
Routing, middleware chains, HTTP request flow, SSR/CSR structures, error handling, CRUD logic—
Fully visualized and explained with self-created diagrams and flowcharts .

 📷 Flowchart + Concept Explanation + Code Practice = Complete Understanding

Minimize abstract explanations,
“Where does data come from, where does it go, and how is it processed?”
We'll make it visible at a glance.

🛠 Hands-on, hands-on backend experience through code

This is not a lecture that you can simply listen to and pass over.
A large part of the lecture is structured around hands-on practice of writing code .
You can build practical skills and confidence by implementing what you have learned step by step.

Not just "code that works",
It is designed with the goal of writing code while understanding “why it is written this way.”

🧱 We delve deep into the inner workings of Express without skimming the surface of its structure.

Express.js is more than just a routing tool.
In this lecture , we will learn about the order in which Express.js executes internally when a request is received.
How req and res are passed and processed ,
Gain a deeper understanding of how errors change the flow by directly implementing or visualizing them .

Rather than simply learning “how to use it,”
Why is the framework called Express.js designed this way ?
We focused on learning structural thinking by implementing core functions directly with your own hands .

📌 And this lecture doesn’t end here.
In Part 2 of this series, we will build on the Express.js structure we have learned so far.
Design and implement your own web framework engine in the style of Express.js .
It takes you from being a “ developer who knows how to use a framework” to being a “ developer who knows how to create .”

🧭 A practical project that follows the actual flow

In the Notepad project in Section 6,
Sign up → Log in → Save data → Edit/delete
We will configure the structure of a web server from start to finish .
It covers all the elements required for practical use, including router separation, middleware design, request authentication, and CRUD processing .

🧠 A lecture that 'drawing a picture' in your head instead of an abstract concept

Complex interactions between servers and clients,
Differences in the order of the middleware chain, rendering structure, etc.
All the concepts that previously felt vague are organized into a visual story and remain in your head like a picture.

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✅ Your changes after taking the course

• It becomes immediately clear how Express.js works.
The process of requests coming in and responses going out, and what middleware does in the middle, are naturally understood through visual flow and practice .

• You can create a well-structured server divided by function on your own.
You will be able to divide routers into functions, design middleware, and directly implement the basic structure used in practical backend development .

• You can freely control the actual data flow handled by the server, such as form submission, JSON processing, URL parameters, cookies, etc.
It's not just "code that works", but you can also judge for yourself why it runs that way and how to respond when errors occur .

• You can complete your own CRUD backend project and use it as a portfolio.
Rather than a simple example, we will create an actual service structure that goes from member registration → login → data processing → modification/deletion .

• You will gain a full stack feel, being able to handle both front and back end with JavaScript.
By creating client screens with HTML/CSS/JS and designing and connecting servers with Express, you will gain a single view of the entire web flow.

• The vague fear that “servers are difficult” disappears, and confidence in web development is gained.
You can naturally level up by slowly building up through practice-oriented learning and experiencing creating code and drawing out the flow on your own .

💡 Learn these things

This course is not just about following along with the code.
Understand the flow of backend operations 'visually' ,
We focus on the process of visually seeing where and how each concept is actually used and implementing it with your own hands.
All the topics below are explained with flow charts and diagrams that I personally drew , and they become completely mine with practice.

⚙ Express 101: How does the routing and middleware flow?

• How user requests are routed and in what order they pass through middleware.

• Learn how middleware works between request and response in a flowchart.

• Learn by tracing req and res objects like a stack to see what data they actually have flowing through.

🏛 Express 201: How are template engines and routers structured?

• CSR vs SSR rendering differences fully visualized in web behavior scenarios

• How data is injected into the page in the EJS template engine

• Design and visualize the functional unit router separation structure like a department store structure

🚨 Express 301: Error Handling, When and How Does It Work?

• What happens to the internal code flow when requesting a non-existent URL (404)?

• When an exception occurs during server logic (500), which middleware handles it?

• Directly check the transmission structure of error handling middleware

📝 Memo Project: Follow the real CRUD flow from start to finish

• Visualize the entire API flow from sign-up → log-in → note creation/edit/delete

• Expressing the flow of authentication and state management (Session or Cookie) as a character-centered story

• Complete practical RESTful API design with schematic specification

💬 All flow charts that appear during the lecture are included in the actual class materials .
You can fully internalize the concepts by writing code alongside visual data.
We will organize the materials provided along with the captured images separately.

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Welcome to Neighborhood Coding Studio !

Neighborhood Coding Studio was founded by a team of developers who studied computer science at top North American universities such as Carnegie Mellon, the University of Washington, the University of Toronto, and the University of Waterloo , and went on to gain hands-on experience at global tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta .

It all began as a study group formed by computer science students across the US and Canada , created to grow together by sharing knowledge, solving problems, and learning from one another.
Although we were attending different schools in different time zones, the experience was so meaningful that it led us to one simple thought:

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That thought became the foundation of Neighborhood Coding Studio .

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🛠 Guide to the practice environment

📘 Prerequisite knowledge required for taking the course

“Learn Express.js Properly: Part 1 From Basics to Advanced”
Start now. Once you have a clear idea of the structure of Express in your head,
You'll start to see the big picture of backend development.