Host JSON Server: The Ultimate Guide for Devs

Hello Devs! Are you looking for a fast and easy way to create a RESTful API for your web application? Look no further than a JSON server! In this article, we will guide you through the process of hosting your own JSON server, from installation to configuration. Let’s get started!

What is a JSON server?

A JSON server is a simple and lightweight application that allows you to create a RESTful API for your web application. It uses a JSON file as a database, which makes it easy to set up and use. With a JSON server, you can quickly create a backend for your application without having to worry about setting up a traditional database or web server.

How does it work?

When you make a request to a JSON server, it reads the data from the JSON file and returns it in the requested format. For example, if you make a GET request for /users, the server will return the list of users in JSON format. If you make a POST request to /users, the server will add the new user to the JSON file.

Because a JSON server is so lightweight, it’s easy to host on any platform that supports Node.js. You can even host it on a free platform like Heroku.

Setting up your JSON server

Requirements

To set up your own JSON server, you will need the following:

• Node.js installed on your machine
• A JSON file with your data

Installation

To install a JSON server, you can use the following command:

npm install -g json-server

This will install the JSON server globally on your machine, so you can use it from any directory.

Starting the server

To start the server, navigate to the directory where your JSON file is located and run the following command:

json-server --watch db.json

Replace db.json with the name of your JSON file. This will start the server on port 3000 by default.

Configuring your JSON server

By default, the JSON server will expose all the data in your JSON file through a RESTful API. However, you can configure the server to add more functionality or restrict access to certain endpoints.

Enabling CORS

If you are planning to use your JSON server with a web application, you will need to enable CORS to allow cross-origin requests. To do this, add the following code to your server.js file:

const express = require('express')const cors = require('cors')const app = express()app.use(cors())// Your routes hereapp.listen(3000)

Adding custom routes

If you want to add custom routes to your JSON server, you can do so by creating an express router and mounting it to the server. Here’s an example:

const express = require('express')const jsonServer = require('json-server')const router = express.Router()router.get('/users', (req, res) => {// Your custom logic here})const server = jsonServer.create()server.use(router)// Your other middleware and routesserver.listen(3000)

Restricting access to certain endpoints

If you want to restrict access to certain endpoints, you can use the express-jwt middleware to require authentication. Here’s an example:

const express = require('express')const jsonServer = require('json-server')const jwt = require('express-jwt')const router = express.Router()const authenticate = jwt({secret: 'secret',})router.use(authenticate)// Your routes hererouter.get('/users', (req, res) => {// Only authenticated users can access this route})const server = jsonServer.create()server.use(router)// Your other middleware and routesserver.listen(3000)

Deploying your JSON server

Hosting on Heroku

Heroku is a popular platform for hosting web applications, and it’s also a great platform for hosting your JSON server. Here’s how to do it:

1. Create a new Heroku app
2. Push your JSON server code to the Heroku app
3. Set the PORT environment variable to 3000
4. Start the server using the following command:

json-server --watch db.json --port $PORT

That’s it! Your JSON server is now hosted on Heroku.

FAQ

That’s all for now, Devs! We hope this guide has been helpful in getting you started with hosting your own JSON server. Happy coding!