Express | Novu Documentation

In this guide, we will add a Novu Bridge Endpoint to a Express.js application and send our first test workflow.

Set up your local environment

Start the Local Studio by running:

npx novu dev

The Local Studio will be available at: http://localhost:2022. This is where you can preview and test your workflows.

Install packages

Install the Novu Framework package:

npm install @novu/framework

This package provides all the necessary tools to build and manage your notification workflows.

Add a Novu API Endpoint

import { serve } from "@novu/framework/express";
import { testWorkflow } from "../novu/workflows";
 
app.use(express.json()); // Required for Novu POST requests
app.use( "/api/novu", serve({ workflows: [testWorkflow] }) );

Configure your secret key

.env

NOVU_SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

Create your workflow definition

Add a novu folder in your app folder as such novu/workflows.ts that will contain your workflow definitions.

app/novu/workflows.ts

import { workflow } from '@novu/framework';
 
export const testWorkflow = workflow('test-workflow', async ({ step }) => {
  await step.email('test-email', async () => {
    return {
      subject: 'Test Email',
      body: 'This is a test email from Novu Framework!',
    };
  });
});

Start your application

Start your Express server with the Novu Endpoint configured.

If your Express application is running on other than 4000 port, restart the npx novu dev command with the port:

npx novu@latest dev --port <YOUR_EXPRESS_JS_APPLICATION_PORT>

Test your endpoint

Test your workflow by triggering it from the Local Studio or using the Novu API:

curl -X  POST https://api.novu.co/v1/events/trigger   -H 'Authorization: ApiKey YOUR_API_KEY'    -H 'Content-Type: application/json'    -d '{
    "name": "my-workflow",
    "to": "subscriber-id",
    "payload": {}
  }'

You should see the notification being processed in your Local Studio.

Deploy your application

Deploy your application to your preferred hosting provider. Make sure the /api/novu endpoint is accessible from the internet.

For local development and testing, you can use tools like ngrok to expose your local server to the internet.

Now that you have your first workflow running, you can:

Learn about Workflow Controls to expose no-code editing capabilities
Explore different Channel Steps like Email, SMS, Push, and more
Set up Action Steps like Delay and Digest
Check out our React Email integration for building beautiful email templates

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