Can you explain what the Express framework is and what it is used for in web application development?

Express is a minimalist and flexible web framework for Node.js that simplifies the creation of server applications and APIs. It provides a convenient set of tools for handling HTTP requests, routing, working with middleware, and managing responses.

Main goals of using Express:

• Rapid development of web servers and REST APIs.
• Managing routes (URLs) and handling requests.
• Connecting middleware for data processing, authentication, logging, etc.

Example of a simple server on Express:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello, Express!');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running on port 3000');
});