SIT737-2.1P: Developing and Deploying a Node.js Web Server

Introduction

This project demonstrates how to set up a basic Node.js web server using Express.js and deploy it to a GitHub repository. The server renders student-specific data upon request.

Technologies & Tools Used

• Node.js - JavaScript runtime for backend development
• Express.js - Web framework for Node.js
• Git - Version control system
• GitHub - Remote repository hosting
• Visual Studio Code - Code editor
• Command Line Interface (CLI) - For executing commands

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Step-by-Step Implementation

1. Setting Up the Development Environment

Before implementing the server, ensure the development environment is properly configured.

Install Required Tools

• Visual Studio Code: Download and install from VS Code
• Node.js: Download and install from Node.js
• Git: Install from Git

2. Creating the Node.js Web Server

Initialize the Project

1. Open terminal and create a project directory:

   mkdir SIT737-NodeServer
   cd SIT737-NodeServer

2. Initialize a Node.js project:

   npm init -y

   This generates package.json for dependency management.

Install Express.js

npm install express

Create the Server File

1. Inside the project folder, create a file named server.js.
2. Add the following code:

   const express = require('express');
   const app = express();
   const port = 3000;
   
   app.get('/', (req, res) => {
       res.send('Welcome to SIT737 Node.js Web Server!');
   });
   
   app.listen(port, () => {
       console.log(`Server running at http://localhost:${port}`);
   });

Run the Server

node server.js

Open http://localhost:3000 in a browser to verify.

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3. Configuring Git & GitHub

Initialize Git Repository

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit - Setting up Node.js web server"

Push Project to GitHub

1. Create a new repository on GitHub (e.g., sit737-2025-prac2p).
2. Link the local repository to GitHub:

   git remote add origin https://github.com/himanshudhaka17/sit737-2025-prac2p.git
   git branch -M main
   git push -u origin main

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Screenshots

1. Server Running in Terminal:
2. Browser Output:
3. GitHub Repository:

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Conclusion

This project successfully demonstrates the setup and deployment of a basic Node.js web server using Express.js. The repository is now live on GitHub for future development and collaboration.

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/himanshudhaka17/sit737-2025-prac2p