Build a simple Markdown editor using Node.js, Express and react

Building a simple Markdown editor involves creating a backend using Node.js and Express to handle API requests, and a frontend using React for the user interface. Here's a basic outline to get you started:

What is a markdown editor?

A Markdown editor is a text editor specifically designed for creating and editing documents written in Markdown language. Markdown is a lightweight markup language that uses plain text formatting syntax to create structured documents. It is often used for writing content for the web, such as blog posts, documentation, and README files.

Markdown editors provide a user-friendly interface for writing in Markdown, offering features like live preview, syntax highlighting, and shortcuts for common Markdown elements. Users can write content using simple and intuitive syntax, and the editor translates it into formatted HTML for easier readability.

These editors are particularly popular among developers, writers, and anyone who wants a simple way to create well-formatted documents without dealing with complex HTML or other markup languages. Markdown editors can be standalone applications or integrated into other tools and platforms. They are commonly used for creating documentation on platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.

Backend (Node.js and Express)

1. Create a new project folder and navigate to it in the terminal.

mkdir markdown-editor
cd markdown-editor

2. Initialize a new Node.js project.

npm init -y

3. Install necessary packages.

npm install express body-parser

4. Create a file named server.js for your Express server.

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

const app = express();
const port = 3001;

app.use(bodyParser.json());

app.post('/api/convert', (req, res) => {
  const { markdown } = req.body;
  // You can use a library like 'marked' to convert markdown to HTML
  // For simplicity, we'll use a dummy conversion here
  const html = `<p>${markdown}</p>`;
  res.json({ html });
});

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Server is running on http://localhost:${port}`);
});

Frontend (React)

5. Create a new React app inside your project folder.

npx create-react-app client

6. Navigate to the React app folder.

cd client

7. Install additional packages.

npm install axios react-markdown

8. Modify src/App.js with the following content:

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import axios from 'axios';
import ReactMarkdown from 'react-markdown';

function App() {
  const [markdown, setMarkdown] = useState('');
  const [html, setHtml] = useState('');

  const handleInputChange = (e) => {
    setMarkdown(e.target.value);
  };

  const handleConvert = async () => {
    try {
      const response = await axios.post('http://localhost:3001/api/convert', { markdown });
      setHtml(response.data.html);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error converting markdown:', error);
    }
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <textarea rows="10" cols="50" value={markdown} onChange={handleInputChange}></textarea>
      <br />
      <button onClick={handleConvert}>Convert</button>
      <br />
      <h2>Converted HTML:</h2>
      <ReactMarkdown source={html} />
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

9. Start both the backend and frontend servers.

In the root folder:

node server.js

In the client folder:

npm start

Visit http://localhost:3000 in your browser to see the Markdown editor in action. Enter Markdown text, click "Convert," and the converted HTML will be displayed below.

This is a basic example, and you may want to enhance and customize it further based on your requirements.