How to Write Your First Web Server with Node.js?

Creating a simple web server with Node.js is a great way to understand the basics of server-side development. First of all, you need to check if Node.js is installed. You can download it from the official website. Once installed, you can use the command line environment to work with Node.js. This is a tool that allows you to run JavaScript directly on the server.

First, you need to create a new file, for example server.js. This is the file where you will write the code for your server. The Node.js web server works on the principle of processing requests and sending responses to clients that access this server. Everything is based on the use of a special module that allows you to work with HTTP requests. This module helps to create a server that will listen for a connection on a specific port.

The basic idea behind such a server is that it receives a request from a browser, processes it, and sends a response. For example, if a browser accesses a server, you can send a text message in response, such as "Hello, World!". Once the server's logic is written, you can run it. To do this, you need to specify which port the server will run on. Locally, port 3000 is usually used.

To run the server, simply open the terminal, specify the path to the file with the server, and run it via Node.js. After running, the server will work. The web browser, receiving a response from the server, will show the received message. This is a very simple example, but it is a starting point for creating more complex applications. Thanks to Node.js, you can easily create applications that interact with databases, process various user requests, and much more.