Build a Node.js web application using Express on a Windows Azure Cloud Service
Node.js includes a minimal set of functionality in the core runtime. Developers often use 3rd party modules to provide additional functionality when developing a Node.js application. In this tutorial you will create a new application using the Express module, which provides an MVC framework for creating Node.js web applications.
A screenshot of the completed application is below:

Create a Cloud Service Project
Perform the following steps to create a new cloud service project named 'expressapp':
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From the Start Menu or Start Screen, search for Windows Azure PowerShell. Finally, right-click Windows Azure PowerShell and select Run As Administrator.

Something missing? To successfully complete this section, you must have a working installation of Node.js and the Windows Azure SDK for Node.js for your platform.
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Change directories to the c:\node directory and then enter the following commands to create a new solution named expressapp and a web role named WebRole1:
PS C:\node> New-AzureServiceProject expressapp
PS C:\Node> Add-AzureNodeWebRole
Install Express
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Install the Express module by issuing the following command:
PS C:\node\expressapp> npm install express -g
The output of the npm command should look similar to the result below.

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Change directories to the WebRole1 directory and use the express command to generate a new application:
PS C:\node\expressapp\WebRole1> express
You will be prompted to overwrite your earlier application. Enter y or yes to continue. Express will generate the app.js file and a folder structure for building your application.

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Delete the server.js file and then rename the generated app.js file to server.js.
PS C:\node\expressapp\WebRole1> del server.js
PS C:\node\expressapp\WebRole1> ren app.js server.js
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To install additional dependencies defined in the package.json file, enter the following command:
PS C:\node\expressapp\WebRole1> npm install

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Use the following command to run the application in the Windows Azure emulator:
PS C:\node\expressapp\WebRole1> Start-AzureEmulator -launch

Modifying the View
Now modify the view to display the message “Welcome to Express in Windows Azure”.
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Enter the following command to open the index.jade file:
PS C:\node\expressapp\WebRole1> notepad views/index.jade

Jade is the default view engine used by Express applications. For more information on the Jade view engine, see http://jade-lang.com.
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Modify the last line of text by appending in Windows Azure.

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Save the file and exit Notepad.
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Refresh your browser and you will see your changes.

After testing the application, use the Stop-AzureEmulator cmdlet to stop the emulator.
Publishing the Application to Windows Azure
In the Windows Azure PowerShell window, use the Publish-AzureServiceProject cmdlet to deploy the application to a cloud service
PS C:\node\expressapp\WebRole1> Publish-AzureServiceProject -ServiceName myexpressapp -Location "East US" -Launch
Once the deployment operation completes, your browser will open and display the web page.
