Connecting Node.js to PostgreSQL
5 min read
Module Overview
What You’ll Learn
- Install and connect to a real PostgreSQL database from Node.js
- Use the
pgdriver and a connection pool correctly - Manage database configuration with environment variables
💡 Why this module matters: Every project in Node.js & Express Foundations stored data in an in-memory array. This module replaces that array with a real, persistent PostgreSQL database, the foundation everything else in this course builds on.
What’s Covered
- What PostgreSQL is, and why a relational database is different from an in-memory array.
- The
pgdriver, connecting Node.js to PostgreSQL without an ORM. - Connection pooling, why a pool, not a single connection, is the right way to talk to a database.
- Environment-based configuration, keeping database credentials out of source code.
Hands-On
By the end of this module, you’ll have a real PostgreSQL database running, a Node.js script connected to it through a connection pool, and configuration loaded safely from environment variables.
Next module: writing real queries against that database, and doing it safely.