Before starting to work with images in Node.js, it is crucial to make sure that your development environment is properly set up. In this chapter, we will cover the necessary steps to prepare your environment, including installing Node.js, setting up a new project, and installing essential modules for image manipulation.

Installing Node.js

To begin, you need to install Node.js on your machine. You can download the latest version from the official Node.js website: Node.js Downloads.

Follow the appropriate installation instructions for your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux). Once installed, verify that Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) are correctly installed by running the following commands in your terminal:

bash

These commands should return the installed version of Node.js and npm respectively.

Creating a New Project

With Node.js installed, the next step is to set up a new project. Create a new folder for your project and navigate to it in your terminal:

bash

Initialize a new Node.js project using npm:

bash

This command will create a package.json file with the default configuration.

Installing Necessary Modules

To manipulate images in Node.js, we need to install some modules. In this course, we will primarily use sharp due to its performance and ease of use. We will also install other useful modules like express to create a basic web server and multer to handle file uploads.

Install these modules using npm:

bash

Project Structure

Good project organization is important for any development. A recommended folder structure could be the following:

Basic Server Setup Example

To ensure everything is working correctly, we will create a basic server using express. Create a src/index.js file and add the following code:

javascript

In this example, we set up a basic server that allows image uploads to the public/uploads folder.

[Here you might add an image showing the folder structure of the project in a text editor, highlighting the public/uploads folder and main configuration files]

With this, your development environment is set up and ready to start working with images in Node.js.