What is Deno?
Deno is a secure runtime for JavaScript and TypeScript, developed by Ryan Dahl, the original creator of Node.js. It runs in a secure sandbox by default, meaning your code has no access to the file system, network, or environment unless explicitly permitted. It also supports TypeScript out of the box and has a decentralized package management system.
Oak: The Deno Equivalent of Express.js
Oak is a middleware framework for Deno, inspired by Koa and Express.js. It allows developers to easily manage routing, middleware, and the HTTP request/response cycle for APIs and web applications.
An Example API Server
Creating a simple 'Hello World' server with Oak is quite straightforward:
import { Application, Router } from "https://deno.land/x/oak/mod.ts";\n\nconst router = new Router();\nrouter.get("/", (ctx) => {\n ctx.response.body = "Hello Deno and Oak!";\n});\n\nconst app = new Application();\napp.use(router.routes());\napp.use(router.allowedMethods());\n\nconsole.log("Server running on http://localhost:8000");\nawait app.listen({ port: 8000 });To run this code, you need to allow network access due to Deno's security features: deno run --allow-net app.ts
Conclusion
Deno and Oak offer a powerful duo for building modern, secure, and efficient backend services. Its TypeScript support and security-focused approach make it a noteworthy option, especially for new projects. Although the maturity of the Node.js ecosystem is not yet present in Deno, it is promising with its rapidly growing community.