Express.js — Prerequisites
What You Need Before Starting
1. Basic Node.js (required)
Running a script with node file.js, installing packages with npm install, and a working understanding of require/import and the module system. Express is a library that runs on top of Node — this course does not re-teach the Node runtime itself (the event loop, npm, modules). If any of that still feels shaky, this platform's own Node.js technology is the right starting point first; Express's Fundamentals tab picks up directly from there.
2. Basic understanding of HTTP methods and status codes (recommended, not required)
Knowing roughly what GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE are for, and that status codes like 200, 404, and 500 mean something specific, makes the routing and error-handling material click faster. It is not a hard requirement — the Fundamentals tab explains each method as it introduces the corresponding route type — but prior exposure (even just from using a REST API as a frontend developer) helps.
3. What you do *not* need yet
helmet, cors) and built out properly in this platform's later Authentication technology, not assumed upfront.Quick self-check
Can you write and run a plain Node.js script that reads a JSON file with fs.readFileSync, installs and requires an npm package, and logs its output — without looking anything up? If yes, you're ready to start at Fundamentals. If any part of that (especially require/npm install) feels unfamiliar, spend time on this platform's Node.js technology first — Express is built entirely on those foundations rather than re-covering them.