How to Build Library Management System Using NodeJS?

A Library Management System is an essential application for managing books, users, and transactions in a library. It involves adding, removing, updating, and viewing books and managing users. In this article, we will walk through how to build a simple Library Management System using NodeJS.

What We Are Going to Create?

We will create a simple web application where administrators can manage books and users. The application will feature:

• Add new books with all the required details.
• View the list of books including details like name, author, pages, prices, and availability.
• Issue and return books (change the book’s availability).
• Delete books from the library.

Project Preview

Approach

Below are the following approaches for building the Library Management System using NodeJS:

• Set Up Middleware with EJS: Use EJS (Embedded JavaScript) as the templating engine to render dynamic HTML pages. Configure it as middleware to send data from the server (e.g., app.js) to the web pages, allowing dynamic display of books and users on the front end.
• Install and Configure Body Parser: Install Body Parser middleware to capture user input from forms (e.g., book titles, authors, user names, etc.). This allows the server to handle POST requests and parse incoming form data, which is then stored in an in-memory array or a database.
• Create Routes for Adding Books and Users: Define a POST route to handle the creation of new books and users. Form submissions (book titles, authors, and user details) will be captured by the server and a new book or user will be added to the collection (in-memory or database). The data is sent back to the front end and displayed on the page.
• Create Delete Route: Set up a DELETE route to remove books or users from the collection. By using the book’s or user’s unique ID (or other identifier), the application can remove them from the collection and update the webpage to reflect the changes.
• Create Update Route: Implement an UPDATE route that allows modifying book or user data. When an update is requested (like changing a book's title, author, or user’s name), the server will capture the new values, update the collection, and reflect these changes on the front end.

Steps to Build a Library Management System Using NodeJS

Step 1: Create a Project Folder

Open your terminal (Command Prompt/PowerShell) and run the following commands:

mkdir library-management-system
cd library-management-system

Step 2: Initialize a NodeJS Project

Run the following command to create a package.json file:

npm init -y

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Run the following command to install the required dependencies:

npm install express ejs body-parser

This installs

• Express: Backend framework.
• EJS: Templating engine.
• Body-parser: To handle form submissions.

Step 4: Create Server File

Create a file named app.js and require the Express module. Then, create an Express instance and set EJS as the default view engine.

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
const app = express();
const PORT = 3000;

// Sample Book Data
let books = [
    {
        bookName: "Rudest Book Ever",
        bookAuthor: "Shwetabh Gangwar",
        bookPages: 200,
        bookPrice: 240,
        bookState: "Available"
    },
    {
        bookName: "Do Epic Shit",
        bookAuthor: "Ankur Wariko",
        bookPages: 200,
        bookPrice: 240,
        bookState: "Available"
    }
];

// Middleware
app.set('view engine', 'ejs');
app.use(bodyParser.json());
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));

// Home Route - Display Books
app.get("/", (req, res) => {
    res.render("home", { data: books });
});

// Add Book Route
app.post("/", (req, res) => {
    const newBook = {
        bookName: req.body.bookName,
        bookAuthor: req.body.bookAuthor,
        bookPages: req.body.bookPages,
        bookPrice: req.body.bookPrice,
        bookState: "Available"
    };

    books.push(newBook);
    res.render("home", { data: books });
});

// Issue Book Route
app.post("/issue", (req, res) => {
    const requestedBookName = req.body.bookName;
    books.forEach(book => {
        if (book.bookName === requestedBookName) {
            book.bookState = "Issued";
        }
    });
    res.render("home", { data: books });
});

// Return Book Route
app.post("/return", (req, res) => {
    const requestedBookName = req.body.bookName;
    books.forEach(book => {
        if (book.bookName === requestedBookName) {
            book.bookState = "Available";
        }
    });
    res.render("home", { data: books });
});

// Delete Book Route
app.post("/delete", (req, res) => {
    const requestedBookName = req.body.bookName;
    books = books.filter(book => book.bookName !== requestedBookName);
    res.render("home", { data: books });
});

// Start Server
app.listen(PORT, () => {
    console.log(`App is running on port ${PORT}`);
});

In this code:

• Body-parser middleware is used to parse incoming request data (such as form submissions) so it can be easily accessed in the request handler (req.body).
• EJS is set as the view engine, allowing dynamic rendering of HTML templates.
• A sample array of books (books) is defined, with each book having properties such as bookName, bookAuthor, bookPages, bookPrice, and bookState (which indicates if the book is available or issued).
• The root route (/) renders the home.ejs page and sends the books array as data to the page. The data is dynamically displayed using EJS on the frontend.
• The POST route for / is used to add a new book to the books array. The book’s details (name, author, pages, price) are captured from the form in the frontend and sent to the server.
• The new book is then added to the array, and the updated list of books is re-rendered on the page.

Step 5: Set Up Views Directory

Create a views folder in your root directory and inside it, create a file called home.ejs.

Step 6: Create the Home Page (home.ejs)

Inside views/home.ejs, add the following code

<html>
<head>
    <style>
        table {
            font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
            border-collapse: collapse;
            width: 100%;
        }
        td, th {
            border: 1px solid #dddddd;
            text-align: left;
            padding: 8px;
        }
        tr:nth-child(even) {
            background-color: #dddddd;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Library Management System</h1>
    <!-- Display Books -->
    <h2>All Books</h2>
    <table>
        <tr>
            <th>Book Name</th>
            <th>Book Author</th>
            <th>Book Pages</th>
            <th>Book Price</th>
            <th>Book Availability</th>
            <th>Issue</th>
            <th>Return</th>
            <th>Delete</th>
        </tr>
        <% data.forEach(element => { %>
            <tr>
                <td><%= element.bookName %></td>
                <td><%= element.bookAuthor %></td>
                <td><%= element.bookPages %></td>
                <td><%= element.bookPrice %></td>
                <td><%= element.bookState %></td>
                <td>
                    <% if (element.bookState === "Available") { %>
                        <form action="/issue" method="post">
                            <input type="hidden" name="bookName" value="<%= element.bookName %>">
                            <button type="submit">Issue</button>
                        </form>
                    <% } %>
                </td>
                <td>
                    <% if (element.bookState === "Issued") { %>
                        <form action="/return" method="post">
                            <input type="hidden" name="bookName" value="<%= element.bookName %>">
                            <button type="submit">Return</button>
                        </form>
                    <% } %>
                </td>
                <td>
                    <form action="/delete" method="post">
                        <input type="hidden" name="bookName" value="<%= element.bookName %>">
                        <button type="submit">Delete</button>
                    </form>
                </td>
            </tr>
        <% }) %>
    </table>
    <!-- Add Book Form -->
    <h2>Add Book</h2>
    <form action="/" method="post">
        <input type="text" placeholder="Book Name" name="bookName" required>
        <input type="text" placeholder="Book Author" name="bookAuthor" required>
        <input type="number" placeholder="Book Pages" name="bookPages" required>
        <input type="number" placeholder="Book Price" name="bookPrice" required>
        <button type="submit">Add</button>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

Output

node app.js

Conclusion

In this guide, we have walked through the process of building a simple Library Management System using NodeJS with Express.js, EJS, and Body Parser. This system allows administrators to manage books by performing various operations such as: adding new books to the library, Viewing a list of books with details like name, author, pages, price, and availability, Issuing and returning books to track their availability, Deleting books from the library.

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Article Tags :

• Web Technologies
• Node.js
• NodeJS-Questions
• EJS-Templating Language
• Library Management System
• Node.js - Projects

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