Design a basic REST API using Node.js and Express to manage a list of tasks.

 Creating a basic REST API for managing tasks using Node.js and Express involves several steps. Below, I'll outline a simplified example of how to design such an API. You would typically start by setting up your Node.js project and installing the necessary dependencies.

1. Initialize Your Node.js Project:

   Create a new directory for your project, navigate to it in your terminal, and run `npm init` to create a `package.json` file. Follow the prompts to configure your project.

2. Install Dependencies:

   You'll need to install Express and other required packages. Run the following commands:

   ```

   npm install express body-parser

   ```

3. Create the Express Application:

javascript

const express = require('express');

const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();

const port = 3000; // You can choose any available port

app.use(bodyParser.json());

// In-memory data store for tasks (replace with a database in a real application)

let tasks = [];

// Define API endpoints

// Get all tasks

app.get('/tasks', (req, res) => {

  res.json(tasks);

});

// Create a new task

app.post('/tasks', (req, res) => {

  const newTask = req.body;

  tasks.push(newTask);

  res.status(201).json(newTask);

});

// Get a specific task by ID

app.get('/tasks/:taskId', (req, res) => {

  const taskId = parseInt(req.params.taskId);

  const task = tasks.find(t => t.id === taskId);

  if (!task) {

    res.status(404).send('Task not found');

  } else {

    res.json(task);

  }

});

// Update a task by ID

app.put('/tasks/:taskId', (req, res) => {

  const taskId = parseInt(req.params.taskId);

  const updatedTask = req.body;

  const index = tasks.findIndex(t => t.id === taskId);

  if (index === -1) {

    res.status(404).send('Task not found');

  } else {

    tasks[index] = updatedTask;

    res.json(updatedTask);

  }

});

// Delete a task by ID

app.delete('/tasks/:taskId', (req, res) => {

  const taskId = parseInt(req.params.taskId);

  const index = tasks.findIndex(t => t.id === taskId);

  if (index === -1) {

    res.status(404).send('Task not found');

  } else {

    tasks.splice(index, 1);

    res.status(204).send();

  }

});

// Start the server

app.listen(port, () => {

  console.log(`Server is running on port ${port}`);

});

```

This is a basic example of a REST API for managing tasks using Node.js and Express. You can run this code, and the server will listen on port 3000. You can use tools like Postman or `curl` to interact with the API's endpoints for managing tasks. Note that this example uses an in-memory array for task storage, which is not suitable for production. In a real application, you should use a database for task persistence.

Make sure to customize and extend this example according to your specific requirements and add error handling, validation, and security measures as needed.