7.3. Working with routes in ExpressJS: Working with dynamic routes

One of the main features of ExpressJS, one of the most popular frameworks for NodeJS, is its routing system. Routes are the backbone of any web application, and with ExpressJS, the process of creating and managing routes is simplified and streamlined. In this chapter, we'll explore how to work with routes in ExpressJS, with special emphasis on dynamic routes.

Routing in ExpressJS is accomplished by defining routes, which are essentially JavaScript functions that correspond to certain URLs. When a URL is accessed, the corresponding route function is executed. This allows you to create the necessary logic to handle different types of requests and responses.

To start working with routes, you need to instantiate an Express object and use its route methods. Route methods correspond to HTTP verbs such as GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc. For example, to create a simple GET route that matches the URL "/", you would do something like this:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello World!');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('App listening on port 3000!');
});

Here, we create a route that matches the URL "/" and responds with "Hello World!" when that URL is accessed through a GET request. The app.get() method takes two arguments: the URL and a callback function that runs when the URL is accessed. The callback function takes two arguments: a request object (req) and a response object (res).

Now, let's talk about dynamic routes. Dynamic routes are routes that contain route parameters. Route parameters are parts of the URL that are dynamic and can vary. They are defined using a colon followed by a name, such as "/users/:userId". ExpressJS automatically extracts these route parameters and makes them available in the request object.

For example, let's create a dynamic route that matches URLs like "/users/1", "/users/2", etc:

app.get('/users/:userId', (req, res) => {
  res.send(`User ID is: ${req.params.userId}`);
});

Here, ":userId" is a route parameter. When that route is accessed, ExpressJS extracts the value of the route parameter and makes it available as a property of the req.params object. So if you access "/users/1", the response will be "User ID is: 1". If you access "/users/42", the response will be "User ID is: 42", and so on.

Dynamic routes are incredibly useful and allow you to build complex and flexible web applications with less code. You can have any number of route parameters in a single route, and you can access them all through the req.params object.

In conclusion, the ExpressJS routing system is a powerful tool that lets you create complex web applications with ease. Dynamic routes in particular are an important feature that allows you to create flexible URLs that can handle a variety of different situations.

In the next section, we'll explore more ExpressJS features, including middleware and how to handle errors. Stay tuned!