Raw Node.js HTTP Server

Why This Project

FSO jumps straight into Express without showing what Express abstracts away. Building a server with only Node's built-in http module gives you an appreciation for routing, request parsing, response headers, and content types. This is the "do it the hard way once" project. It's short — a day or two — but it permanently changes how you understand Express.

What to Build

A URL shortener API using only node:http — no Express, no frameworks. POST a long URL, get back a short code. GET the short code, get redirected. Store mappings in a JSON file on disk. Track how many times each short link has been visited. Serve a basic HTML page at the root that shows all shortened URLs and their click counts.

Requirements

Use only node:http, node:fs, node:url, node:crypto — no npm packages
Parse the URL and method manually to route requests
Parse JSON body from POST requests using request data events
POST /shorten — accepts { url: "..." }, returns { shortCode: "abc123", shortUrl: "http://localhost:3000/abc123" }
GET /:shortCode — redirects (302) to the original URL, increments click count
GET /stats/:shortCode — returns JSON with original URL and click count
GET / — serves an HTML page listing all shortened URLs
Set correct Content-Type headers (application/json, text/html)
Return proper status codes: 200, 201, 302, 404, 400, 500
Persist to a db.json file using fs.readFile / fs.writeFile
Handle malformed JSON in request body gracefully
Validate that the submitted URL is actually a URL

Skills Practiced

Node.js core modules HTTP protocol request/response cycle manual routing streams file I/O status codes redirects

Pain Point to Notice

The manual URL parsing and if/else routing gets messy fast. Parsing the request body requires collecting chunks from a stream. There's no req.body, no app.get(), no middleware. After this project, you'll understand every convenience Express gives you.

Resources

Node.js HTTP Module Docs docs — nodejs.org
Anatomy of an HTTP Transaction guide — nodejs.org
Node.js File System Docs docs — nodejs.org
Node.js Crypto Module docs — nodejs.org
HTTP Status Codes — MDN reference
Common MIME Types — MDN reference
Node.js Streams Guide guide — nodejs.org