Node.js allows you to run JavaScript on a server and build backend applications. However, using Node.js alone can be inconvenient for building real web servers.

To handle requests in pure Node.js, you need to write a lot of low-level code. Even simple things like routing or sending responses require more setup than expected.

Express.js is a framework that simplifies this process.

It provides a clean and simple way to handle requests, define routes, and send responses. Instead of writing everything from scratch, you use built-in methods that make development faster and more organized.

With Express, you can focus on building your application logic instead of dealing with low-level server details.