Hatching the Nest – Installing NestJS Like a Pro (or a Chicken 🐔)

So you've met NestJS – the TypeScript-powered, Angular-inspired server-side superhero. Now it's time to install it, feed it some code, and watch it fly like... well, like a chicken with superpowers.

🛠️ Step 1: Prerequisites – Tools of the Trade

Before you jump into the nest, make sure your toolbox is ready:

• 🧙 Node.js (v20+): The wise old wizard who runs your code

  Install it from: https://nodejs.org

• 🧙 npm or yarn: The spellbooks (aka package managers)

You can check them like a boss:

node -v
npm -v

If you see versions and not weird errors, congrats! You're ready.

🐣 Step 2: Global Nest CLI – The Nest Egg

You only need to hatch this once:

npm i -g @nestjs/cli

🗯️ This gives you the magical nest command, which is basically the Harry Potter wand for backend devs.

🧪 Step 3: Create Your Nest – A New Project

Run this spell:

nest new awesome-nest-app

And Nest will ask you to:

• Pick a package manager (npm or yarn — pick your poison)
• Then it installs everything like a wizard quietly brewing a potion.

You’ll get:

awesome-nest-app/
├── src/
│   ├── app.controller.spec.ts
│   ├── app.controller.ts
│   ├── app.module.ts
│   └── app.service.ts
├── main.ts
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

Here's a brief overview of those core files:

File Name	Description
app.controller.ts	A basic controller with a single route.
app.controller.spec.ts	The unit tests for the controller.
app.module.ts	The root module of the application.
app.service.ts	A basic service with a single method.
main.ts	The entry file that uses NestFactory to create a Nest application instance.

🎉 You’re now the proud parent of a brand-new NestJS app. Cute, huh?

🏃 Step 4: Run Like the Wind

Get inside your nest:

cd awesome-nest-app

And run it:

npm run start

To watch for changes in your files, you can run the following command to start the application:

npm run start:dev

Boom 💥! Your server is alive at:

http://localhost:3000

Open your browser and get a warm welcome:

Hello World!

🔥 Bonus: Add Swagger, Because You’re Fancy

Install Swagger to make your APIs strut like supermodels:

npm install --save @nestjs/swagger swagger-ui-express

Add this in main.ts to unleash the docs:

import { SwaggerModule, DocumentBuilder } from "@nestjs/swagger";

const config = new DocumentBuilder()
  .setTitle("My Nest API")
  .setDescription("Swagger is here to flex your endpoints 💪")
  .setVersion("1.0")
  .addBearerAuth()
  .build();

const document = SwaggerModule.createDocument(app, config);
SwaggerModule.setup("api", app, document);

Now visit:

http://localhost:3000/api

and boom, you got API docs ✨.

🐥 Conclusion

Congratulations! You've just installed and launched your first NestJS app. You’re now officially a Nestling Developer™, ready to build mighty server-side apps.

Stay tuned for the next chapter: "📦 Modules – Like IKEA, But with Code."

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Happy hacking, and may your backend never return a 500!