HTTP Module

Create a web server from scratch.

2 min read | Node.js Tutorial

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HTTP Module

The http module lets you create web servers without any framework. It is the foundation that Express.js is built on.

Creating a Basic Server

const http = require("http");

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "text/plain" });
  res.end("Hello from Node.js!");
});

server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log("Server running on http://localhost:3000");
});

Handling Different Routes

const http = require("http");

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  if (req.url === "/" && req.method === "GET") {
    res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "text/html" });
    res.end("<h1>Home Page</h1>");
  } else if (req.url === "/api/users" && req.method === "GET") {
    res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "application/json" });
    res.end(JSON.stringify([{ name: "Alice" }]));
  } else {
    res.writeHead(404);
    res.end("Not Found");
  }
});

Reading Request Body

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  let body = "";

  req.on("data", (chunk) => {
    body += chunk.toString();
  });

  req.on("end", () => {
    const parsed = JSON.parse(body);
    console.log("Received:", parsed);
    res.writeHead(201);
    res.end("Created");
  });
});

Making HTTP Requests

const http = require("http");

// GET request
http.get("http://api.example.com/users", (res) => {
  let data = "";
  res.on("data", (chunk) => { data += chunk; });
  res.on("end", () => {
    console.log(JSON.parse(data));
  });
});

Pro Tip: For production servers, use Express.js instead. The raw HTTP module is great for learning, but Express handles routing, middleware, and error handling much better.