In this chapter, we have explored quite a lot. We started off with introducing Knex.js and how we can use it to connect and use the database. We went through the essential CRUD database methods. We then covered how we can authenticate our API and prevent it from unauthorized access, using the JWT mechanism. We also mentioned something important about CORS, how the browsers handle this and how we can enable this on our API. We finally finished off with covering concepts about testing our API, using the Lab library. We also covered, in passing, the concept of test automation using gulp.js.

In this book, we started off with learning how to implement the necessary modules to get simple applications up and running. We then moved on to implementing the async and await functions to handle asynchronous code efficiently. After a primer on Node.js (the application building aspect), we graduated to building an API using Node.js. To do this, we initially used the built-in module and then utilized the rich Hapi.js framework. We also understood the advantages of the Hapi.js framework. Later on, we learned how to handle requests from API clients and finally, we completed the book by covering interactions with databases.

This is a practical quick-start guide. To further your knowledge, you should consider building real-time applications with Node.js. We have recommended a few books in the next section, but ensure you check our website to find other books that may interest you!