JSON Server is a lightweight server that allows you to create a RESTful API with a JSON file as the data source. It is a useful tool for front-end developers who need to create a mock API for testing or prototyping purposes. JSON Server is easy to set up and can be used with any front-end framework or library.
In this article, we will explore the basics of JSON Server and how to use it to create a mock API.
JSON Server is a Node.js module that allows you to create a RESTful API with a JSON file as the data source. It is a useful tool for front-end developers who need to create a mock API for testing or prototyping purposes. JSON Server is easy to set up and can be used with any front-end framework or library.
JSON Server is built on top of Express, a popular Node.js web framework. It provides a simple way to create a RESTful API with minimal configuration. JSON Server also supports various HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE, which makes it easy to create a full-featured API.
Using JSON Server is easy. First, you need to install it using npm:
<pre>
npm install -g json-server
</pre>Once installed, you can create a JSON file with your data. For example, let's create a file called db.json with the following data:
<pre>
{
"users": [
{
"id": 1,
"name": "John Doe",
"email": "john.doe@example.com"
},
{
"id": 2,
"name": "Jane Doe",
"email": "jane.doe@example.com"
}
]
}
</pre>Next, you can start the JSON Server by running the following command:
<pre>
json-server --watch db.json
</pre>This will start the JSON Server and make the data available at http://localhost:3000. You can now make HTTP requests to this URL to retrieve or modify the data.
For example, to retrieve all users, you can make a GET request to http://localhost:3000/users:
<pre>
GET /users HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:3000
</pre>This will return the following JSON response:
<pre>
[
{
"id": 1,
"name": "John Doe",
"email": "john.doe@example.com"
},
{
"id": 2,
"name": "Jane Doe",
"email": "jane.doe@example.com"
}
]
</pre>You can also make POST, PUT, and DELETE requests to modify the data. For example, to add a new user, you can make a POST request to http://localhost:3000/users with the following JSON data:
<pre>
POST /users HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:3000
Content-Type: application/json
{
"name": "Bob Smith",
"email": "bob.smith@example.com"
}
</pre>This will add a new user to the data and return the following JSON response:
<pre>
{
"id": 3,
"name": "Bob Smith",
"email": "bob.smith@example.com"
}
</pre>JSON Server is a useful tool for front-end developers who need to create a mock API for testing or prototyping purposes. It is easy to set up and can be used with any front-end framework or library. With JSON Server, you can create a full-featured RESTful API with minimal configuration.