An Overview of the Node.js Web Module for Beginners

The Node.js Web Module is a powerful component of the Node.js framework, enabling developers to build web applications with ease. This article breaks down the core concepts and features, making it accessible for those new to web development.

Key Concepts

• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine, allowing developers to execute JavaScript on the server side.
• Web Module: A built-in module in Node.js that provides the necessary functions to create web servers and manage HTTP requests.

Main Features

• Creating a Web Server: The Web Module allows developers to set up a basic web server using the http module.
• Handling Requests and Responses: It offers methods for listening to incoming requests and sending responses back to the client.

Example Code

Below is a simple example of how to create a web server using Node.js:

// Import the http module
const http = require('http');

// Create a server
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
    // Set the response HTTP header with HTTP status and Content type
    res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
    
    // Send the response body "Hello World"
    res.end('Hello World\n');
});

// Server listens on port 3000
server.listen(3000, () => {
    console.log('Server running at http://127.0.0.1:3000/');
});

Explanation of the Code

• Importing the Module: The http module is imported to leverage its functionalities.
• Creating the Server: The http.createServer() method is invoked with a callback function that processes requests and responses.
• Sending Response: The res.writeHead() function sets the response headers, while res.end() sends the final response back to the client.
• Listening on a Port: The server listens on port 3000 and logs a message indicating it is running.

Conclusion

The Node.js Web Module is crucial for constructing web applications. By mastering the creation of web servers and request handling, newcomers can begin developing their own applications using Node.js.