Learn server-side JavaScript with the runtime powering Netflix, Uber, LinkedIn, and NASA and build AI-powered backends, real-time systems, and intelligent APIs from the ground up.
Node.js with AI takes you from your first HTTP server through Express.js REST APIs, asynchronous programming, database integration, Redis caching, WebSockets, Docker, and cloud deployment - and then into integrating OpenAI and LLM APIs to build AI-powered chat systems, recommendation engines, and intelligent automation workflows. Written for the 2026 ecosystem, every chapter is practical, current, and immediately deployable.
Node.js is JavaScript on the server. Its non-blocking event loop handles thousands of concurrent connections with minimal memory, its npm ecosystem has over 2 million packages, and every major AI SDK - OpenAI, Anthropic, and beyond - ships first-class Node.js support. If you already know any JavaScript, Node.js is the fastest path to building production backend systems. This book teaches you the complete picture: APIs, databases, real-time features, and AI, all in one runtime and one book.
What you will learn:
- Understand the Node.js runtime - the V8 engine, libuv, and the non-blocking event loop
- Work with modules, npm packages, the file system, and environment configuration
- Master asynchronous JavaScript - callbacks, Promises, and async/await patterns
- Build REST APIs with Express.js, middleware, routing, and request handling
- Add authentication, authorization, error handling, and input validation
- Integrate MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and Redis caching into Node.js applications
- Build real-time applications with WebSockets and background job queues
- Deploy Node.js apps with Docker and cloud platforms
- Integrate OpenAI and LLM APIs with prompt engineering for backend workflows
- Complete five real-world projects: a task management API, AI chat application, recommendation system, real-time analytics dashboard, and an AI-assisted monitoring platform
Four parts, zero filler:
Part I builds your Node.js foundation - the runtime, JavaScript essentials, modules, async programming, HTTP servers, Express.js REST APIs, middleware, and performance basics.
Part II covers advanced topics including authentication, WebSockets, database integration with MongoDB and PostgreSQL, Redis caching, background jobs, testing, Docker, and scalable backend architecture.
Part III connects Node.js to the AI era with practical chapters on LLM API integration, OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs, prompt engineering for backend applications, AI-powered chat and recommendation systems, semantic search, vector database concepts, and intelligent real-time systems.
Part IV delivers five complete guided projects you build from start to finish.
The book includes a Node.js quick reference, an Express.js patterns guide, an async patterns reference, a common errors and fixes guide, a deployment checklist, and a recommended learning path - everything you need in one volume.
Whether you are building a REST API, a real-time SaaS backend, a microservice, or an AI-powered application, Node.js is where JavaScript developers go to work on the server - and this book is your complete guide to mastering it.
Perfect for: JavaScript developers moving to backend development, beginners who want full-stack JavaScript skills, backend engineers adding AI and real-time capabilities to their systems, and developers building APIs and microservices in 2026.
