Setting up a project for CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations using Express.js, EJS, and Mongoose involves creating a web application where you can perform these operations on a MongoDB database. Below is a step-by-step guide to setting up such a project:

1. Set Up Your Project

1. Initialize the Project:

   Create a new directory for your project and initialize it with npm:

   mkdir express-crud-app
   cd express-crud-app
   npm init -y
   

2. Install Required Packages:

   Install the necessary packages:

   npm install express mongoose ejs body-parser
   

   • express: Web framework for Node.js.
   • mongoose: MongoDB object modeling tool.
   • ejs: Templating engine for rendering views.
   • body-parser: Middleware for parsing request bodies (though with Express 4.16.0 and later, you can use built-in express.json() and express.urlencoded()).

2. Set Up Mongoose and Connect to MongoDB

1. Create the Application File:

   Create a file named app.js in the root of your project:

   const express = require('express');
   const mongoose = require('mongoose');
   const path = require('path');
   const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
   
   const app = express();
   
   // Connect to MongoDB
   mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost:27017/crud-app', {
       useNewUrlParser: true,
       useUnifiedTopology: true
   }).then(() => {
       console.log('Connected to MongoDB');
   }).catch(err => {
       console.error('Failed to connect to MongoDB', err);
   });
   
   // Middleware
   app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));
   app.use(express.json());
   
   // Set the view engine to EJS
   app.set('view engine', 'ejs');
   app.set('views', path.join(__dirname, 'views'));
   
   // Routes will be defined here
   
   // Start the server
   app.listen(3000, () => {
       console.log('Server is running on http://localhost:3000');
   });

3. Run and Test Your Application

1. Start the Server:

   Run the application using:

   node app.js
   

2. Access the Application:

   Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to see the list of items and test CRUD operations.

Summary

1. Set Up Project: Initialize the project and install dependencies.
2. Connect to MongoDB: Use Mongoose to connect to your MongoDB database.
3. Create Mongoose Model: Define a schema and model for your data.
4. Define Routes: Implement CRUD routes to handle various operations.
5. Create EJS Templates: Build views to display and manage data.
6. Test Application: Run and verify the application functionality.