Creating a MySQL Table with Node.js: A Beginner's Guide

This guide explains how to create a MySQL table using Node.js, providing a straightforward approach for beginners.

Key Concepts

• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime that allows developers to build server-side applications.
• MySQL: A popular relational database management system.
• MySQL Driver: A library that enables Node.js to communicate with MySQL databases.

Steps to Create a MySQL Table in Node.js

1. Set Up Your Environment

• Install MySQL: Ensure that MySQL is installed on your machine.
• Install Node.js: Download and install Node.js from the official website.

2. Install MySQL Driver for Node.js

To interact with MySQL, you need to install the MySQL driver:

npm install mysql

3. Create a JavaScript File

Create a JavaScript file (e.g., createTable.js) to write your code.

4. Connect to MySQL Database

Use the following code snippet to establish a connection to your MySQL database:

const mysql = require('mysql');

const connection = mysql.createConnection({
  host: 'localhost',
  user: 'yourUsername',
  password: 'yourPassword',
  database: 'yourDatabase'
});

connection.connect((err) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('Connected to the database!');
});

5. Create a Table

Once connected, you can execute SQL queries to create a table. Here’s an example of how to create a users table:

const createTableQuery = `CREATE TABLE users (
  id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(100),
  email VARCHAR(100),
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
)`;

connection.query(createTableQuery, (err, result) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log("Table 'users' created successfully!");
});

6. Close the Connection

Always close the connection after completing your operations:

connection.end((err) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('Connection closed!');
});

Complete Example

Here’s the complete code combining all the steps:

const mysql = require('mysql');

const connection = mysql.createConnection({
  host: 'localhost',
  user: 'yourUsername',
  password: 'yourPassword',
  database: 'yourDatabase'
});

connection.connect((err) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('Connected to the database!');

  const createTableQuery = `CREATE TABLE users (
    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    email VARCHAR(100),
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
  )`;

  connection.query(createTableQuery, (err, result) => {
    if (err) throw err;
    console.log("Table 'users' created successfully!");

    connection.end((err) => {
      if (err) throw err;
      console.log('Connection closed!');
    });
  });
});

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create a MySQL table using Node.js. This integration allows you to manage your data effectively within your applications.