Node.js Hello World: Write Your First Program

In this quick tutorial, you will start Node.js tutorials with a Hello World program. You will learn how to set up the environment and write your first code

Setting up Node.js Environment

You can install Node.js from the official site and pick the LTS version. You can also add npm, which comes inside Node.js, and you use it to manage packages.

So let’s check the installation by typing:

node -v

And

npm -v

These commands show the current version of Node.js and npm on your system.

You can create a new folder for your project and open it in your code editor. This folder holds your code and any files you add later.

Then, run this command to init the project:

npm init

#OR

npm init -y

This will create package.json file that is the map of the project that will store all modules you use.

Write Your First Hello World Program in Node.js

Inside the folder, make a new file named app.js. You write the code below inside that file.

console.log("Hello World");

Then, open the terminal inside the project folder and type:

node app.js

This command runs the file and prints Hello World on the screen.
You can change the text in the code and run it again to see a new output.

Create a Hello World Example for the Browser through Web Server

Inside the same folder, make a new file named server.js. Add the code below inside it.

const http = require("http");

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

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

This code starts a small server on port 3000 and sends Hello World as plain text to any browser.

Open a browser and go to http://localhost:3000 and you see the text Hello World from your Node.js server.

Wrapping Up

You learned how to set up Node.js and create a folder for your first code, and run a Hello World program.

Here is a quick recap:

• Install Node.js
• Check the version
• Make a folder for the project
• Create a file with app.js
• Write console.log
• Run it with node.

FAQs

// Create a file named app.js
console.log("Hello World");

// Inside terminal
node app.js

const http = require('http');
http.createServer((req, res) => {
  res.write("Hello World");
  res.end();
}).listen(3000);

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