Installation

Prerequisite: install Node.js

If you haven’t already installed Node, download and install Node.js. For best results, use the latest LTS (long-term support) release of Node.js.

Install LoopBack tools

Although in theory, you could code a LoopBack application from scratch, installing a LoopBack CLI tool makes it much easier to get started. It will scaffold an application that you can then customize to suit your needs. For more information, see Command-line tools.

You have two options for LoopBack tools:

• LoopBack CLI tool
• IBM API Connect v5 developer toolkit

You can also use the legacy StrongLoop CLI tool slc.

Install LoopBack CLI tool

To install the LoopBack command-line interface (CLI) tool, enter the command:

npm install -g loopback-cli

This installs the lb command-line tool for scaffolding and modifying LoopBack applications. For more information, see Command-line tools.

Install IBM API Connect v5 developer toolkit

IBM API Connect is an end-to-end API management solution that uses LoopBack to create APIs, and provides integrated build and deployment tools:

• Integrated experience across the entire API lifecycle, including API and micro-service creation in Node.js and Java.
• Self-service access to APIs with built-in developer portals and social collaboration tools.
• Unified management and orchestration of Node.js and Java for deployment on-premises and in IBM Cloud.
• Built-in security and gateway policies with extensive security options and governance policies.

For more information, see IBM API Connect.

IBM API Connect v5 developer toolkit includes:

• The graphical API Designer tool that you can use to create and modify LoopBack applications.
• The apic command-line tool for scaffolding and modifying LoopBack applications.

To install IBM API Connect v5 developer toolkit:

$ npm install -g apiconnect

For more information, see Installing the API Connect Developer Toolkit.

Updating your installation

Update your installation with this command:

$ npm install -g strongloop

If you encounter any problems, you may need to perform a clean reinstallation. Follow these steps:

$ npm uninstall -g strongloop
$ npm cache clear
$ npm install -g strongloop

Next steps

Follow Getting started with LoopBack and read LoopBack core concepts.