This chapter is designed to cover a few fundamental concepts in Node.js, as we lay a foundation for our subsequent chapters on API development.

Let's start this first chapter with a quick dive into how Node.js works and where it's being used lately. We will then have a look at its module system and its asynchronous programming model. Let's get started.

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

• Describe the basics of how Node.js works
• List the applications of Node.js in modern software development
• Describe the module system used by Node.js
• Implement basic modules for an application
• Explain the asynchronous programming basics in Node.js
• Implement a basic application using async/await