What is Node.js in Node.js - Hands-On Activity

What is Node.js

📖 Scenario: You want to understand what Node.js is and how it works in a simple way.

🎯 Goal: Learn the basic concept of Node.js by creating a simple server that responds with a message.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a basic Node.js server using the http module

Set up a port number variable

Write the core logic to handle requests and send responses

Start the server and listen on the specified port

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Node.js is used to build fast and scalable web servers and applications that run JavaScript outside the browser.

💼 Career

Understanding Node.js basics is essential for backend development roles and full-stack JavaScript development.

1

DATA SETUP: Import the http module

Write a line of code to import the built-in Node.js http module and assign it to a variable called http.

Node.js

# Import the http module
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use const http = require('http'); to import the module.

2

CONFIGURATION: Define the port number

Create a constant variable called port and set it to 3000.

Node.js

const http = require('http');
# Define the port number
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use const port = 3000; to set the port.

3

CORE LOGIC: Create the server to handle requests

Use http.createServer with a function that takes req and res as parameters. Inside the function, write the response header with status code 200 and content type text/plain. Then end the response with the text 'Hello from Node.js!'. Assign the server to a constant called server.

Node.js

const http = require('http');
const port = 3000;
# Create the server with request and response handling
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use http.createServer((req, res) => { ... }) and inside write the header and end the response.

4

COMPLETION: Start the server and listen on the port

Call server.listen with the port variable and a callback function that logs 'Server running on port 3000'.

Node.js

const http = require('http');
const port = 3000;
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/plain'});
  res.end('Hello from Node.js!');
});
# Start the server and listen on the port
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use server.listen(port, () => { console.log('Server running on port 3000'); }); to start the server.