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Running Node.js and Writing Basic Scripts

Explore how to run Node.js through its interactive Read-Eval-Print Loop (REPL) and write your first JavaScript scripts. This lesson helps you understand how to execute code in the Node.js environment and use scripts to perform simple tasks, forming a foundation for server-side development.

Node.js is a runtime environment, which means it doesn’t come with a graphical user interface like some other development tools. We interact with Node.js through a command-line interface (CLI). In this lesson, we’ll learn to run Node.js, use its interactive environment (REPL), and create a basic script. Once we’re comfortable with this, we’ll have taken our first steps into server-side JavaScript.

Running Node.js in interactive mode (REPL)

The Node.js REPL lets us interact with JavaScript directly. REPL stands for Read-Eval-Print Loop:

  • Read: It reads the input. ...