Business Data Extractor with Google Places API, Next.Js, and Node

In a previous article, we used C# to scrape Craigslist gigs to find freelance developer jobs. In this tutorial, we’ll be building a local business data extractor with Node and Next.js. We can use this tool to find local businesses we can work with.

Getting Started

Installing Node and VS Code

For this project, we’ll need to install NodeJS (https://nodejs.org/) and Visual Studio Code (https://code.visualstudio.com/).

Setting Up Our Project

For our front-end, we’ll be using Next.Js along with Material UI. I have created an empty folder, opened it in VS Code, opened the integrated terminal (terminal > new terminal), and ran the following command:

npm init

Follow the prompts and fill in whatever is applicable.

Then run the following command:

npm install --save next react react-dom express axios google-places-web @material-ui/core

And, one last command:

npm install nodemon --save-dev

Now, open package.json and add the following under scripts :

"scripts": {
   "dev": "nodemon server.js"
}

Express Server

Next, we’ll create our Express server. In the root of our application, add a server.js file. This is…