Computer Information

A comprehensive course on server-side development using Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB. Students learn to design and build production-grade REST APIs, work with authentication, security, testing, and caching, and use AI coding assistants to scaffold, debug, and document backend code — finishing with a fully tested, deployed, AI-assisted API-driven capstone project.

Backend Development with Node.js is a comprehensive, hands-on course designed to teach students how modern server-side applications and REST APIs are designed, developed, tested, secured, and deployed. Using Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, and Mongoose, students progress from fundamental backend concepts to building production-ready APIs that can power web and mobile applications. The course begins with an understanding of client-server architecture, backend responsibilities, the Node.js runtime, npm, asynchronous programming, and core server development. Students then move into Express.js, where they learn routing, middleware, request and response handling, REST architecture, API versioning, status codes, and practical API design principles.

Authentication, Security, Testing, and Performance

The course takes students beyond basic API development by introducing the practices required to make backend applications reliable and secure. Students implement user registration and login systems using password hashing with bcrypt and explore the differences between sessions and token-based authentication. They learn how JSON Web Tokens (JWT) work and use authentication middleware to protect API routes and implement basic role-based authorization. Additional topics include file uploads with Multer, third-party API integrations, and secure management of application secrets and environment variables.

AI-Assisted Development and Production Deployment

A distinctive component of the course is the practical use of AI coding assistants, including tools such as GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT, as development support rather than replacements for programming knowledge. Students learn how AI can help scaffold routes, generate models and middleware, identify bugs, explain unfamiliar code, create documentation, and accelerate repetitive development tasks. They also learn the importance of reviewing, testing, and validating AI-generated code before using it in a production application. This approach helps students develop modern workflows while maintaining an understanding of the underlying backend concepts and engineering decisions.

The course concludes with a substantial capstone project in which students plan and build a complete API-driven backend for an application such as a booking platform, e-commerce system, or social application. They integrate database models, authentication, authorization, validation, error handling, testing, security, and AI-assisted development into one project. Students then test, document, deploy, and present their completed API.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Design, build, test, secure, and deploy production-oriented REST APIs using Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB, while applying authentication, authorization, validation, testing, caching, performance optimization, deployment practices, and AI-assisted development workflows.

Overall, this course provides a practical pathway from understanding backend fundamentals to developing and deploying a complete, tested, documented, and AI-assisted REST API. It is designed to give students both the technical foundation and hands-on experience needed to continue building modern backend applications and progress toward professional full-stack or backend development.