1. Introduction to Fullstack Development

Fullstack development refers to the practice of building both the frontend (client-side) and backend (server-side) of an application. With knowledge of Fullstack development, you can handle the complete process of web app creation.

In this guide, we’ll take you through a practical example: building a basic to-do list web application that allows users to add, edit, and delete tasks, with data saved in a database.

[Visual Placeholder 1: Introductory Image] An image showing the components of Fullstack development (frontend, backend, and database) and how they work together.

2. Tools You’ll Need

Before we start building, here are the tools and technologies you’ll be using:

• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB (NoSQL)
• Version Control: Git
• Hosting: Heroku (optional for deployment)

[Visual Placeholder 2: Tools Stack Infographic] A simple infographic showing the Fullstack technology stack for this project: React (Frontend) -> Node.js/Express (Backend) -> MongoDB (Database).

3. Setting Up the Frontend: React

Let’s start by building the user interface of our to-do app. We’ll use React, a powerful JavaScript library for building dynamic user interfaces.

Step 1: Create the React App

First, set up your React environment by running the following command in your terminal:

npx create-react-app todo-app
cd todo-app
npm start

This will initialize a new React project and start a development server.

Step 2: Design the To-Do List UI

Next, design the basic user interface using HTML and CSS. Here’s a simple structure for your to-do list:

<div className="todo-container">
<h1>My To-Do List</h1>
<input type="text" placeholder="Add a new task..." />
<button>Add Task</button>
<ul>
<li>Task 1 <button>Delete</button></li>
<li>Task 2 <button>Delete</button></li>
</ul>
</div>

Step 3: Add State Management with React Hooks

We’ll use React’s useState hook to manage the list of tasks. Here’s a basic example of how you can implement state in the app:

javascriptCopy codeimport React, { useState } from 'react';

function TodoApp() {
const [tasks, setTasks] = useState([]);
const [input, setInput] = useState('');

const addTask = () => {
setTasks([...tasks, input]);
setInput('');
};

return (
<div> <input value={input} onChange={(e) => setInput(e.target.value)} placeholder="Add a new task" /> <button onClick={addTask}>Add Task</button> <ul> {tasks.map((task, index) => ( <li key={index}>{task}</li> ))} </ul> </div>
);
}

[Visual Placeholder 3: UI Design Preview] Add an image or mockup of what the to-do list app looks like with tasks being added and deleted.

4. Setting Up the Backend: Node.js and Express

Now, let’s set up the backend using Node.js and Express.js to handle API requests and store our tasks in a database.

Step 1: Initialize Node.js Project

In a new directory, initialize a Node.js project and install Express:

mkdir backend
cd backend
npm init -y
npm install express

Step 2: Create an API Endpoint

We’ll create a simple REST API to handle adding and retrieving tasks:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

let tasks = [];

app.get('/tasks', (req, res) => {
res.json(tasks);
});

app.post('/tasks', (req, res) => {
const task = req.body.task;
tasks.push(task);
res.json({ message: 'Task added successfully' });
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});


[Visual Placeholder 4: Backend Flow Diagram] A diagram showing how the frontend sends a request to the backend API, and the API responds with the data.

5. Connecting the Frontend to the Backend

Now, we’ll connect the React frontend to the Node.js backend. We’ll use the fetch API in React to interact with our backend.

Step 1: Fetch Tasks from the Backend

In your React component, you can fetch tasks from the backend API using the useEffect hook:

import { useEffect } from 'react';

useEffect(() => {
fetch('/tasks')
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => setTasks(data));
}, []);

Step 2: Post New Tasks to the Backend

Modify the addTask function to send the new task to the backend:

const addTask = () => {
fetch('/tasks', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
body: JSON.stringify({ task: input }),
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(() => {
setTasks([...tasks, input]);
setInput('');
});
};

6. Adding a Database: MongoDB

To make the data persistent, we’ll connect our backend to MongoDB, a NoSQL database.

Step 1: Set Up MongoDB

You can either use a local MongoDB instance or a cloud solution like MongoDB Atlas.

Step 2: Install Mongoose

Mongoose is a library that helps with connecting Node.js to MongoDB. Install it in your backend project:

bashCopy codenpm install mongoose

Step 3: Connect to MongoDB and Save Tasks

Update your backend code to store tasks in the MongoDB database:

const mongoose = require('mongoose');

mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost:27017/todo', {
useNewUrlParser: true,
useUnifiedTopology: true,
});

const taskSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
task: String,
});

const Task = mongoose.model('Task', taskSchema);

app.post('/tasks', (req, res) => {
const task = new Task({ task: req.body.task });
task.save().then(() => {
res.json({ message: 'Task added successfully' });
});
});


[Visual Placeholder 5: MongoDB Connection Diagram] Show how MongoDB connects with the backend to store data.

7. Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve just built your first Fullstack web app—a fully functioning to-do list application with a React frontend, a Node.js backend, and MongoDB database. The skills you’ve learned here form the foundation for building more complex applications in the future.