While I am starting to get a hold of NodeJS programming, I am a bit confused by when to use request params and how their practical use differs from using query strings.
In particular, I can do localhost:8080/:param1 in the URL followed by req.params in the code or localhost:8080/?param1=value in the URL followed by req.query in the code, and get the same outcome – the value of param1. How should I decide when to use which? What is a good use case for either of these approaches?
You use
localhost:8080/param1value
when you are referring to a resource, as in
http://barnesandnoble.com/books/12345/how-to-win-friends
You use
localhost:8080?param1=value
when you are supplying a parameter to a request, as in
http://barnesandnoble.com/search?searchterm=friends