How to write first application in Node.js in Windows Environment?

Question

I have downloaded Node.js from their site in my windows xp os. I have installed it through the microsoft installer. I didn't know how to write my first application, where to save them and how to execute them in Windows. I have got a node.js command prompt but I can't use it. I have searched a lot but there is only instruction for linux and mac. I didn't find any suitable tutorial or example that I can start a node application from scratch.

If anybody can put some documentation or steps or any such tutorial where I can get help of this, it will be great for me.

I imagine if you have a node.js command prompt then it would be as simple as creating a js based file in a directory, then navigating to that directory using the node.js command prompt and then typing node . — Simon H, Dec 13 '12 at 07:04
If you search Google exactly for `node.js server windows`, there's several articles on how to run it with a server. Note, however, that most of what I saw reference IIS, which I have no idea if and how you can get that installed. But you need a server running that can handle sending requests to your node.js runtime. Apache, nginx, lighthttp, and IIS are most typical (Tomcat?). — Jared Farrish, Dec 13 '12 at 07:12
Here's a [tutorial](http://thecodinghumanist.com/blog/archives/2011/4/23/getting-started-with-node-js-on-windows), using node.js to create a server. Seems interesting. — Jared Farrish, Dec 13 '12 at 07:14

score 8 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 07 '15 at 18:57

As this blog entry by Eric, it is ridiculously easy to get a node.js server setup and responding to requests on 127.0.0.1:#port#.

Really easy. I just did it all in... Longer than write this text.

Download an OS-appropriate node.js¹: http://nodejs.org/
Now, create a .txt (plaintext) file in the same folder as your node.exe and rename that to server.js.

Put this Javascript in that file:

var http = require('http');

http.createServer(function (request, response) {
    console.log('request starting...');

    response.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/html' });

    var html = '<p>Hello World!</p>';

    response.end(html, 'utf-8');
}).listen(8125);

console.log('Server running at http://127.0.0.1:8125/');

Open a cmd.exe and cd c:\path\to\the\node\executable, where node.exe resides.

From there, run:

node server.js

You should see it say:

Server running at http://127.0.0.1:8125

Open a browser and put http://127.0.0.1:8125/ in the address bar.

You should see it say:
```
Hello World!
```

That's it. That's pretty easy. The proverbial Hello World! in 15 seconds or less. Now how to get it to parse a Javascript file and return that output instead of simple HTML...

_{^1. Note, I got the executable, node.exe, made a folder somewhere, put the executable in that folder. No installer. Works like a charm.}

Its now running. But When I closed the command prompt. Server is not running anymore. Is there any way to run it altime? — Mrinmoy Ghoshal, Dec 13 '12 at 09:01
Run it as a service. See the answers for [this question](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10547974/how-to-install-node-js-as-windows-service). — Jared Farrish, Dec 13 '12 at 09:03
@JaredFarrish - regarding #4, I added node path in system variables of my Windows Server 2008 R2 and now its working from anywhere by passing this from cmd.exe _node.exe "C:\nodejs-stuff\Server.js"_ — Gaurav Arora, Jun 05 '14 at 20:51

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 15 '13 at 12:23

0

Here is the new way develop node.js app with Windows Environments and Visual Studio >= 2012 https://nodejstools.codeplex.com/

answered Dec 15 '13 at 12:23

Gencebay

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Note that [link-only answers are discouraged](http://meta.stackoverflow.com/tags/link-only-answers/info), SO answers should be the end-point of a search for a solution (vs. yet another stopover of references, which tend to get stale over time). Please consider adding a stand-alone synopsis here, keeping the link as a reference. – kleopatra Dec 15 '13 at 12:25

How to write first application in Node.js in Windows Environment?

2 Answers2