NodeJS HTTP Module Last Updated : 15 Jul, 2025 Comments Improve Suggest changes Like Article Like Report In NodeJS, the HTTP module is a core built-in module that enables developers to create and manage HTTP servers. It plays a crucial role in handling server-side HTTP requests and responses, allowing for seamless communication between clients and servers. In this article, we will dive into the NodeJS HTTP module, explaining its syntax, and usage, and providing practical examples to help you understand its functionality.What is an HTTP Module?The NodeJS HTTP module allows you to create web servers and handle HTTP requests and responses, making it a fundamental part of building web applications in NodeJS. HTTP is the built-in module in NodeJs through which the data is transferred. Uses the require() method to include the HTTP module.It provides utilities to create both client and server applications.Supports various HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.Allows ease in handling request headers, query parameters, and response bodies.Syntaxconst http = require('http');Some of the key features of the NodeJS HTTP Modules are mentioned below:Server Creation: It allows the creation of HTTP servers.Handling Requests: It listens for incoming HTTP requests and performs actions based on the request type.Sending Responses: It sends responses back to the client, allowing for dynamic content delivery.Working with Different HTTP Methods: It supports GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, and other HTTP request methods.Creating Servers using HTTPYou can create a server using http.createServer() that listens for requests. JavaScript const http = require('http'); http.createServer((request, response) => { response.write('Hello World!'); response.end(); }).listen(3000); console.log("Server started on port 3000"); OutputCreating ServerIn this examplehttp.createServer() is used to create a new HTTP server.The (request) object represents the incoming request from the client.The (response) object is used to send the HTTP response to the client.response.write() sends data as part of the response.response.end() signals that the response is complete.server.listen() makes the server listen on the specified port (3000 in this case).Adding an HTTP HeaderAdding an HTTP header, especially the Content-Type header, helps inform the client (usually the browser) about the type of content the server is sending. This is important for proper rendering of the response. If the Content-Type is set to text/html, the browser knows that the response is an HTML document and can render it accordingly.If the Content-Type is set to application/json, the browser or client knows the response is in JSON format and can parse it as such. JavaScript var http = require('http'); var url = require('url'); http.createServer(function (req, res) { var q = url.parse(req.url, true).query; // Parse the query string var contentType = 'text/html'; if (q.json === 'true') { contentType = 'application/json'; } res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': contentType }); if (contentType === 'text/html') { res.write('<html><body><h1>Hello, World!</h1></body></html>'); } else if (contentType === 'application/json') { res.write(JSON.stringify({ message: "Hello, World!" })); } res.end(); }).listen(3000, () => { console.log('Server running at http://localhost:3000/'); }); Output In this exampleWhen you visit http://localhost:3000/, the server will respond with an HTML page.The HTTP header will be set as Content-Type: text/html.The browser knows to render the response as an HTML document.If you visit http://localhost:3000/?json=true, the server will respond with a JSON object.The HTTP header will be set as Content-Type: application/json.The browser or client knows to treat the response as a JSON object and can handle it accordingly (e.g., parsing it in JavaScript).Reading the Query StringReading the Query StringThe http.createServer() function takes a request (req) object, which contains information about the incoming HTTP request. One of the key properties of the req object is url, which holds the part of the URL after the domain name. JavaScript var http = require('http'); http.createServer(function (req, res) { res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/html' }); res.write(req.url); res.end(); }).listen(8080, () => { console.log('Server running at http://localhost:8080/'); }); OutputReading the query stringIn this examplehttp://localhost:8080/name will display /namehttp://localhost:8080/summer will display /summerThe server listens for HTTP requests.req.url returns the full URL requested by the client, including the path and query string (if any).The server sends the path (including any query string) as part of the response.Splitting the Query StringYou can use the built-in url module to easily parse and split the query string into readable parts. JavaScript var http = require('http'); var url = require('url'); http.createServer(function (req, res) { res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/html' }); var q = url.parse(req.url, true).query; // Parse the query string var txt = q.year + " " + q.month; // Get year and month from query string res.end(txt); // Display the result }).listen(8080, () => { console.log('Server running at http://localhost:8080/'); }); Output In this exampleThe server listens for HTTP requests and parses the query string of the URL.The url.parse(req.url, true).query parses the URL and extracts the query parameters as an object.The q.year and q.month are then concatenated into a string txt.The server sends the txt string (2025 March) as the response, if you access the URL:http://localhost:8080/?year=2025&month=MarchIf no query parameters are provided, the output will be undefined undefined.ConclusionThe HTTP module in NodeJS is an essential tool for building web servers and handling HTTP requests and responses. With this module, you can:Create a basic HTTP server.Handle different HTTP methods like GET, POST, etc.Work with URL parameters and query strings. Comment More infoAdvertise with us Next Article NodeJS Introduction P parasmadan15 Follow Improve Article Tags : Web Technologies Node.js Node.js-Basics Node.js-HTTP-Module Similar Reads Node.js Tutorial Node.js is a powerful, open-source, and cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment built on Chrome's V8 engine. It allows you to run JavaScript code outside the browser, making it ideal for building scalable server-side and networking applications.JavaScript was mainly used for frontend developme 4 min read Introduction & Installation NodeJS IntroductionNodeJS is a runtime environment for executing JavaScript outside the browser, built on the V8 JavaScript engine. It enables server-side development, supports asynchronous, event-driven programming, and efficiently handles scalable network applications. 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