> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://contentful.com/developers/docs/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://contentful.com/_mcp/server.

# Creating an Express JavaScript app

> This guide will walk you through your first steps using Contentful with an Express Node.js application.

This guide will walk you through your first steps using Contentful with an Express Node.js application. It will provide a step-by-step guide on how to get your first entries and start using the content you create on Contentful.

## Requirements

* A [Heroku][1] account
* [Heroku CLI][14] installed
* [Node.js][2] 6.2.1 installed
* Npm 3.10.7 which should be installed with `Node.js`
* [Git][12] installed
* Basic Command Line Interface knowledge

## Check out the final project

You can deploy the final project to Heroku to see how it works by clicking the button below.

[![Deploy to Heroku](https://www.herokucdn.com/deploy/button.svg)](https://heroku.com/deploy?template=https://github.com/contentful/contentful_express_tutorial)

## Start from a demo application

First we'll start with a [demo project][3], which is a simple Express.js application using Contentful's 'Product Catalogue' template, so that you can see it running for yourself.

Run the following commands to get started.

* Clone the example repository:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/contentful/contentful_express_tutorial.git
```

* Navigate into the repository's directory:

```bash
$ cd contentful_express_tutorial
```

* Install dependencies:

```bash
$ npm install
```

* Run the server:

```bash
$ npm run dev
```

Everything is now set up. You can view your new data by opening `http://localhost:3000` in your browser.

It should look something like this:

![Express js Demo Application](https://images.ctfassets.net/tz3n7fnw4ujc/7s7GMqTvSoE08m8YIQUaaI/31a7f52e6d80ed4ea4f8f31ffd313ff4/default_website.png)

### Using your own content

You can create your own custom data by following these steps:

* Create an account with [Contentful][6] or [Log In][5].
* Create a new Space with the 'Product Catalogue' template, name it whatever you like.

**Note:** Creation of a space may result in additional charges if the free spaces available in your [plan](https://www.contentful.com/pricing/?faq_category=payments\&faq=what-type-of-spaces-can-i-have#what-type-of-spaces-can-i-have/) are exhausted.

* Copy the space Id and API key as shown in the screenshot

![Keys Page](https://images.ctfassets.net/tz3n7fnw4ujc/674J5NCI5amOyoaskCuOG4/115aa2814fa889462e430de498956196/keys_and_ids.png)

* In the Express js application:

  * navigate to the package.json file open it and change the values `accessToken` and `space` in the `config` section and save.
  * run `npm run dev` to start the server
  * Your space will be now displayed in your application

Next in the [Contentful web app][6] > Content:

* Open the product called 'Playsam Streamliner Classic Car, Espresso'.
* Change the value of the *Product name* field to a new value,
* Click the *Publish changes* button
* Wait a few seconds for the changes to propagate to the CDN.
* Reload your Express js application and you will see the new product name.

You can continue to edit your content inside the [Contentful web app][13] and see the content change inside your application.

### Deploy the demo to Heroku

To view the demo application live in your own production environment, follow these steps:

* Having Heroku CLI Installed, Login to Heroku if you're not logged in already:

```bash
heroku login
```

* Create a new instance:

```bash
heroku create
```

* Commit your change:

```bash
git add .
git commit -m "Add Website"
```

* Deploy to Heroku:

```bash
git push heroku master
```

* Open the application in your browser:

```bash
heroku open
```

## Next Steps

After this guide, you should be able to start using Contentful with your Express js applications, but every project has different needs and we want to provide you with the best solutions we can.

You can read about the Contentful CDA library in more detail on our [contentful.js GitHub][1] or our [Getting Started with CDA client library tutorial][9]. We also suggest taking a look at our [Product Example Application][10].

Do you like building static sites? Check how to build static sites using Contentful with [Metalsmith][11]

* [Using the Contentful Delivery API in a JavaScript app](/sdks/javascript/tutorials/using-js-cda-sdk)
* [How to only update content that has changed](/sdks/javascript/tutorials/using-the-sync-api-with-js/)

[1]: https://www.heroku.com

[10]: https://github.com/contentful/product-catalogue-js

[11]: https://github.com/contentful-labs/contentful-metalsmith-example

[12]: https://git-scm.com/downloads

[13]: https://app.contentful.com/

[14]: https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-cli#download-and-install

[2]: https://nodejs.org

[3]: https://github.com/contentful/contentful_express_tutorial

[5]: https://www.contentful.com/sign-up/#starter

[6]: https://app.contentful.com

[7]: /references/content-delivery-api/overview

[8]: https://github.com/contentful/contentful.js

[9]: /sdks/javascript/tutorials/using-js-cda-sdk

> This guide will walk you through your first steps using Contentful with an Express Node.js application.