# How do you extract POST data in Node.js?
Source: https://tpiros.dev/blog/how-do-you-extract-post-data-in-node-js
When you're building Node.js web apps, you'll eventually need to grab data from a form submission. Here's how to pull POST data out of a request.
# The setup
We're going to use Express v5 (still in alpha at the time of writing). Install it: `npm install express@5.0.0-alpha.2 --save`
> Curious about what changed between Express v4 and v5? [Read this article](https://fullstack-developer.academy/whats-new-in-express-5/).
# body-parser
[body-parser](https://www.npmjs.com/package/body-parser) is an npm plugin for Express that lets you capture form data. Express used to ship with this baked in, but it got pulled out into its own package for easier maintenance.
Install it: `npm install body-parser --save`
# Creating the application
With both packages installed, create an `index.html` file and a simple HTTP server called `app.js`.
```html
Express - Node.js POST data example
```
```javascript
// app.js
const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
const app = express();
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: false }));
app.get('/', (request, response) =>
response.sendFile(`${__dirname}/index.html`)
);
app.post('/api/data', (request, response) => {
const postBody = request.body;
console.log(postBody);
});
app.listen(3000, () => console.info('Application running on port 3000'));
```
The HTML sets up a `