The answer
Start with the raw http module to learn fundamentals, then use Express for production. Express handles routing, middleware, and request parsing, which are the production standard for most Node.js APIs.
Node.js Best Practices Every Beginner Should Follow
Should I use Express or the raw http module in Node.js?
More FAQs in Node.js Best Practices Every Beginner Should Follow
Use async/await for modern code. It is cleaner, easier to read, and easier to debug than callbacks. Reserve callbacks for EventEmitter and old APIs that use them, but write new code with async/await.
Because unhandled errors crash the Node.js process. Always handle errors in async code with try/catch, and add a global error handler. In production, an unhandled error taking down your server is a serious problem.
Yes, always. Never hardcode secrets, database URLs, or configuration in code. Use dotenv and environment variables so each environment has its own config and secrets are not committed to git.
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