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Node.js is a server-side runtime environment written in JavaScript. It is asynchronous, event-driven, and uses the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine. Node.js can be used to write efficient, scalable server-side applications and web services. In this article, we will learn how to set up a Node.js server.
Before you start using Node.js, you need to install it. You can download the latest version of Node.js installation package from the official website (https://nodejs.org). After the installation is completed, open the terminal and enter the following command to verify whether the installation is successful:
node -v
If the version number is printed successfully, the installation is successful.
Next, we need to create a Node.js server. Open your code editor and create a new folder named "my_server". Create a new file called "server.js" in this folder. Use the following code to configure your server:
const http = require('http'); const hostname = '127.0.0.1'; const port = 3000; const server = http.createServer((req, res) => { res.statusCode = 200; res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain'); res.end('Hello World\n'); }); server.listen(port, hostname, () => { console.log(`Server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`); });
The above code uses Node.js’ built-in http module to configure the server. It creates a new server, listens on the local port 3000, listens on the hostname localhost, and then creates a port on the server. This program will run when a client makes a request (such as opening a web page) and sends a "Hello World" response to the client.
After configuring your server, you need to run it. In the command line, go to the "my_server" folder and use the following command to start the server:
node server.js
Enter http://localhost:3000 in the browser and a page will be displayed with "Hello World" information. This is your first Node.js server.
While you can use Node.js’s built-in http module to create the server, it’s better to use a framework such as Express. Express is the most popular framework for Node.js server-side applications. It provides many useful features and middleware that make it easier to build and extend your server. Use the following steps to create your server using the Express framework:
4.1 Install Express
In the command line, go to the "my_server" folder and use the following command to install Express:
npm install express --save
The --save option will add Express to the package.json file for later use when adding new dependencies.
4.2 Create Server
Use the following code to configure your server:
const express = require('express'); const app = express(); app.get('/', (req, res) => { res.send('Hello World!'); }); app.listen(3000, () => { console.log('Server started at http://localhost:3000'); });
This will create a new Express application and define the '/' route to The client sends a "Hello World!" response. This program will run when a client requests it (such as opening a web page).
4.3 Run your Express server
In the command line, go to the "my_server" folder and use the following command to run the server:
node server.js
Finally, you can browse Enter http://localhost:3000 into the browser and you will see a page showing the message "Hello World!"
Summary
In this article, we learned how to set up a Node.js server. First, we installed Node.js and then created the server using the built-in http module. Next, we saw how to create a server using the Express framework, which is a better option for quickly creating and scaling servers. Node.js is a very powerful and flexible server-side runtime environment that allows you to create web applications and services in an efficient way.
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