__I am learning to code. My tutor taught me how to create an HTTP server using Express, and the same evening he gave me a task — build a basic TODO app using that knowledge.

My first thought was — "Is that even possible with this little knowledge?"

The answer, as it turns out, is yes. Completely yes.

Here is everything I learned, explained the way I wish someone had explained it to me.

First, What Even Is a Backend?

Before I wrote a single line of code, I had to understand what a backend actually does.

Think about a restaurant.

You sit down. A waiter comes. You say — "Get me a burger." The waiter goes to the kitchen, gets it, and brings it back.

Now map that to the internet —

You are the browser

The waiter is Express

The kitchen is your backend logic

The burger is the data

When you type a URL in your browser and hit enter, you are placing an order. The server's job is to take that order, do something, and bring back a response.

That's it.…