8711. Creating Http Server with Node.js
Node.js

Tutorial for how to create web applications through Node.js.

1. Creating Server

Create a file named main.js having following codes:

var http = require("http");

http.createServer(function (request, response) {

   // Send the HTTP header
   // HTTP Status: 200 : OK
   // Content Type: text/plain
   response.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/plain'});

   // Send the response body as "Hello World"
   response.end('Hello World from Node Server\n');
}).listen(8086);

// Console will print the message
console.log('Server running at http://127.0.0.1:8086/');

The following points need to be noted about the above file.

  • Use require directive to load the http module and store the returned HTTP instance into a variable
  • Call http.createServer() method to create a server instance and then bind it at port 8086 using the listen method associated with the server instance. Pass it a function with parameters request and response. Write the sample implementation to always return “Hello World from Node Server”.
  • Print log in console indicating server is running.

2. Running and Testing

In terminal, execute main.js with node command.

$ node main.js

You should see the following log.

Server running at http://127.0.0.1:8086/

Now the HTTP server is running on the local machine and waiting for a request at port 8086. startserver
Open web browser, access http://127.0.0.1:8086/. browser

3. Source Files

4. References