HTTP Server

HTTP server.

Installation

npm install @stdlib/net-http-server

Usage

var httpServerFactory = require( '@stdlib/net-http-server' );

httpServerFactory( [options,] [requestListener] )

Returns a function to create an HTTP server.

var httpServer = httpServerFactory();

The function supports the following parameters:

• options: options (optional).
• requestListener: callback to invoke upon receiving an HTTP request (optional).

To bind a request callback to a server, provide a requestListener.

function requestListener( request, response ) {
    console.log( request.url );
    response.end( 'OK' );
}

var httpServer = httpServerFactory( requestListener );

In addition to the options supported by http.createServer, the function accepts the following options:

• port: server port. Default: 0 (i.e., randomly assigned).
• maxport: max server port when port hunting. Default: maxport=port.
• hostname: server hostname.
• address: server address. Default: 127.0.0.1.

To specify server options, provide an options object.

var opts = {
    'port': 7331,
    'address': '0.0.0.0'
};

var httpServer = httpServerFactory( opts );

To specify a range of permissible ports, set the maxport option.

var opts = {
    'maxport': 9999
};

var httpServer = httpServerFactory( opts );

When provided a maxport option, a created server will search for the first available port on which to listen, starting from port.

httpServer( done )

Creates an HTTP server.

function done( error, server ) {
    if ( error ) {
        throw error;
    }
    console.log( 'Success!' );
    server.close();
}

var httpServer = httpServerFactory();

httpServer( done );

The function supports the following parameters:

• done: callback to invoke once a server is listening and ready to handle requests.

Notes

• Which server options are supported depends on the Node.js version. Older Node.js versions (e.g., <= v8.12.0) do not support an options object when calling http.createServer, and, for those versions, any options supported by http.createServer in later Node.js versions are ignored.
• Port hunting can be useful in a microservice deployment. When a port is randomly assigned (options.port=0), if a server fails and is restarted, the server is unlikely to bind to its previous port. By allowing a constrained search, assuming no lower ports within a specified range have freed up in the meantime, the likelihood of listening on the same port is increased. A server can typically restart and bind to the same port faster than binding to a new port and re-registering with a microservice registry, thus minimizing possible service interruption and downtime.

Examples

var proc = require( 'process' );
var http = require( 'http' );
var httpServerFactory = require( '@stdlib/net-http-server' );

function done( error, server ) {
    if ( error ) {
        throw error;
    }
    http.get( 'http://127.0.0.1:7331/beep/boop', onResponse );
}

function onResponse() {
    console.log( 'Success!' );
    proc.exit( 0 );
}

function onRequest( request, response ) {
    console.log( request.url );
    response.end( 'OK' );
}

// Specify server options...
var opts = {
    'port': 7331,
    'maxport': 9999,
    'hostname': 'localhost'
};

// Create a function for creating an HTTP server...
var httpServer = httpServerFactory( opts, onRequest );

// Create a server:
httpServer( done );

Notice

This package is part of stdlib, a standard library for JavaScript and Node.js, with an emphasis on numerical and scientific computing. The library provides a collection of robust, high performance libraries for mathematics, statistics, streams, utilities, and more.

For more information on the project, filing bug reports and feature requests, and guidance on how to develop stdlib, see the main project repository.

Community

License

See LICENSE.

Copyright

Copyright © 2016-2026. The Stdlib Authors.