index.html

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport"
          content="width=device-width, user-scalable=no, initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, minimum-scale=1.0">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="ie=edge">
    <title>Using Node.js to Create Web Servers</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
  </head>
  <body>
    <header class="top-nav">
      <input id="menu-toggle" type="checkbox" />
      <label class='menu-button-container' for="menu-toggle">
        <div class='menu-button'></div>
      </label>
      <nav id="navbar" class="menu">
        <header id="nav-header"><a href="#main-doc">Node.js Web Server</a></header>
        <ul class="nav-menu">
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#1._What_is_Node.js?">1. What is Node.js?</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#2._Prerequisites">2. Prerequisites</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#3._Setting_Up_Node.js">3. Setting Up Node.js</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#4._Creating_a_Node.js_Web_Server">4. Creating a Node.js Web Server</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#5._Node.js_Server_Routing">5. Node.js Server Routing</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#6._Serving_Static_Files_with_Node.js">6. Serving Static Files with Node.js</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#7._Node.js_and_Databases">7. Node.js and Databases</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#8._Node.js_Web_Security">8. Node.js Web Security</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#9._Node.js_Performance_Tuning">9. Node.js Performance Tuning</a></li>
          <li><a class="nav-link" href="#10._Conclusion">10. Conclusion</a></li>
        </ul>
      </nav>
      </div>
    </header>

    <main id="main-doc">
      <div class="bottom-space-bg">
        <h1>Using Node.js to Create Web Servers</h1>
        <p>This tutorial will help you understand what Node.js is and how to use it to create web servers. It includes
          instructions on how to route servers, serve static files, and tips on how to handle databases, ensure web
          security, and tune performance.</p>
      </div>
      <section id="1._What_is_Node.js?" class="main-section">
        <header>1. What is Node.js?</header>
        <p>Node.js is a powerful and popular JavaScript platform for developing server-side applications. It is an
          open-source, cross-platform runtime environment that is widely used for creating web servers and handling
          requests from clients. Node.js uses an asynchronous event-driven, non-blocking I/O (Input/Output) model
          that makes it lightweight and efficient. As a result, Node.js is a great choice for creating web servers.</p>
      </section>
      <section id="2._Prerequisites" class="main-section">
        <header>2. Prerequisites</header>
        <p class="bottom-space-md">This guide assumes that you have the following basic background:</p>
        <ol>
          <li>a basic understanding of HTML</li>
          <li>working knowledge of web development concepts and frameworks</li>
           <li>good command of the JavaScript language</li>
          <li>an up-to-date web browser</li>
          <li>an internet connection to download Node.js and necessary packages</li>
        </ol>
      </section>
      <section id="3._Setting_Up_Node.js" class="main-section">
        <header>3. Setting Up Node.js</header>
        <p class="bottom-space-sm">Before you can start writing code to create a web server, you need to set up Node.js on your system. To do
          this, first, download the latest LTS (Long Term Stable) version of Node.js from
          <a href="https://nodejs.org/en/download/" target="_blank">the official website</a>.There are versions
          available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Once downloaded, you can install Node.js with the included
          installer.</p>
        <p class="bottom-space-md">You can use your terminal application of choice to test whether Node.js has been installed successfully.
          Type the following and press 'enter':</p>
        <pre>
node –-version</pre>
        <code class="hidden"></code>
        <p class="bottom-space-md">This should give you the version of your Node.js install on the next line - for example:</p>
        <pre>
v18.12.1</pre>
        <code class="hidden"></code>
      </section>
      <section id="4._Creating_a_Node.js_Web_Server" class="main-section">
        <header>4. Creating a Node.js Web Server</header>
        <p class="bottom-space-sm">Once Node.js is installed, you can start writing code to create a web server. You need to include the `http`
          module in your code to do this. This module provides the necessary functions and objects for creating a web
          server.</p>
        <p class="bottom-space-md">The following code snippet shows how to create a simple web server using the `http` module:</p>
         <pre>
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}/`);
});
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}/`);
});</pre>
        <code class="hidden"></code>
      </section>
      <section id="5._Node.js_Server_Routing" class="main-section">
        <header>5. Node.js Server Routing</header>
        <p class="bottom-space-sm">Node.js provides a simple and powerful way to route requests to different handlers. To do this, you can use
          the `url` module. This module provides functions and objects for parsing URLs and extracting the various
          components of a URL.</p>
        <p class="bottom-space-md">The following code snippet shows how to route requests to different handlers based on the URL:</p>
        <div class="pre-container">
        <pre>
const http = require('http');
const url = require('url');

const hostname = '127.0.0.1';
const port = 3000;

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  const parsedUrl = url.parse(req.url, true);
  const path = parsedUrl.pathname;
  const trimmedPath = path.replace(/^\/+|\/+$/g, '');

  // Route the request to the handler specified in the router
  const chosenHandler =
          typeof(router[trimmedPath]) !== 'undefined' ? router[trimmedPath] : handlers.notFound;

  chosenHandler(function(statusCode, payload){
    res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
    res.writeHead(statusCode);
    res.end(JSON.stringify(payload));
  });
});

server.listen(port, hostname, () => {
  console.log(`Server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);
});</pre>
        </div>
        <code class="hidden"></code>
      </section>
      <section id="6._Serving_Static_Files_with_Node.js" class="main-section">
        <header>6. Serving Static Files with Node.js</header>
        <p class="bottom-space-sm">Node.js can also be used to serve static files such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. To do this, you need
          to use the `fs` module. This module provides functions and objects for reading and writing files.</p>
        <p class="bottom-space-md">The following code snippet shows how to serve static files with Node.js:</p>
        <div class="pre-container">
          <pre>
const http = require('http');
const fs = require('fs');

const hostname = '127.0.0.1';
const port = 3000;

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  // Get the filename from the request
  const filename = req.url === '/' ? 'index.html' : req.url;

  // Read the file
  fs.readFile(`./public/${filename}`, (err, data) => {
    if (err) {
      res.writeHead(404);
      res.end('Not Found');
    } else {
      res.writeHead(200);
      res.end(data);
    }
  });
});

server.listen(port, hostname, () => {
  console.log(`Server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);
});</pre>
        </div>
        <code class="hidden"></code>
      </section>
      <section id="7._Node.js_and_Databases" class="main-section">
        <header>7. Node.js and Databases</header>
        <p>Node.js can also be used to connect to databases such as MySQL and MongoDB. To do this, you need to use a
          database driver. MongoDB provides an official
          <a href="https://www.mongodb.com/docs/drivers/node/current/" target="_blank"> MongoDB Node.js driver</a>
          which can be used to connect to MongoDB databases. Similarly, there are drivers available for other databases
          such as <a href="https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/nodejs/" target="_blank">MySQL</a> and
          <a href="https://node-postgres.com/" target="_blank">PostgreSQL</a>.
        </p>
      </section>
      <section id="8._Node.js_Web_Security" class="main-section bottom-space-bg">
        <header>8. Node.js Web Security</header>
        <p class="bottom-space-sm">When creating web servers with Node.js, it is important to consider security. It is important to use secure
          programming practices and to use security best practices. Node.js provides a number of security best practices
          which can be found <a href="https://nodejs.org/en/docs/guides/security/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
        <p class="bottom-space-md">Examples of security best practices when creating web servers with Node.js include:</p>
        <ol>
          <li>Keep Node.js and all associated modules up to date with the latest security patches and releases.</li>
          <li>Use secure encryption protocols, such as TLS/SSL, for all communication between the client and server.</li>
          <li>Implement input and data sanitization to prevent malicious code from being executed on the server.</li>
          <li>Implement authentication and authorization to prevent unauthorized access to the server.</li>
          <li>Disable all debugging and error reporting features in production environments.</li>
          <li>Use HTTPS for all requests to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.</li>
          <li>Use secure session management to prevent session hijacking.</li>
          <li>Use a web application firewall to protect against malicious requests.</li>
        </ol>
      </section>
      <section id="9._Node.js_Performance_Tuning" class="main-section bottom-space-bg">
        <header>9. Node.js Performance Tuning</header>
        <p class="bottom-space-md">Once your Node.js web server is up and running, it is important to consider performance. Here are a few tips
        on how to improve performance:</p>
        <ol>
          <li>Utilize caching techniques – caching can significantly improve performance by reducing the time needed to
            generate dynamic content.</li>
          <li>Reduce the number of dependencies – managing too many dependencies can slow down your server, so try to
            use only the necessary ones.</li>
          <li>Optimize your code – use techniques such as minifying JavaScript and CSS files, as well as reducing the
            amount of data sent over the wire.</li>
          <li>Perform regular server health checks – make sure to regularly check your server’s performance and look for
            any signs of degradation.</li>
          <li>Use a content delivery network (CDN) – a CDN can help reduce latency by distributing content closer to
            users, resulting in faster page loads.</li>
          <li>Utilize serverless functions – serverless functions are an effective way to offload tasks to external
            services, allowing you to focus on your core business logic.</li>
          <li>Monitor and measure performance – use tools such as New Relic to monitor and measure the performance of
            your Node.js server in real-time.</li>
        </ol>
         You can find more (unofficial) performance tuning tips for example in
        <a href="https://blog.appsignal.com/2021/11/24/7-ways-to-improve-nodejs-performance-at-scale.html" target="_blank">
          this blog post on AppSignal</a>.
      </section>
      <section id="10._Conclusion" class="main-section">
        <header>10. Conclusion</header>
        <p>In this tutorial, we have looked at how to use Node.js to create web servers. We have seen how to set up
          Node.js, how to create a web server using the `http` module, how to route requests using the `url` module, and
          how to serve static files using the `fs` module. We have also looked at how to connect to databases using
          database drivers and how to use security best practices. Finally, we have looked at how to use
          performance-tuning tips to optimize your web server.</p>
      </section>
    </main>
  </body>
</html>