TypeScript Lab: Tiny HTTP Server

LAB / EXPLORATION

TypeScript Lab: Tiny HTTP Server

Planned

LAB 082 — Node HTTP & APIs
Serve a visible browser page from a TypeScript Node server.

LAB TypeScript Lab: Tiny HTTP Server Preview coming soon

LAB 082

TypeScript Lab: Tiny HTTP Server

Concept

Node's HTTP server connects incoming requests to generated responses.

Concept

Node's HTTP server connects incoming requests to generated responses.

Objective & Explanation

What the project should make visible and why the concept matters.

Learning Target

Objective

Serve a visible browser page from a TypeScript Node server.

Explanation

Node's HTTP server connects incoming requests to generated responses.

Project Plan

Structure, technologies, data boundary, and source connection.

Structure

project/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── public/
│   ├── index.html
│   └── styles.css
└── src/
    └── server.ts

Technologies

TypeScript
Node.js
HTTP
HTML
CSS

Data Layer

No persistent data layer. Keep all demonstration values inside the standalone project.

Sandbox Source

src/local-editor/server.ts → createServer()

Build Instructions

Build only the focused behavior, then use the visual layer to inspect it.

Setup

Create the standalone project folder and listed files.

Implement

Implement the smallest version that demonstrates the concept.

Run & Inspect

Use the interface to trigger and inspect the request/response behavior.

Code & Configuration

Starter configuration plus the focused implementation example.

Focused TypeScript

Implement this behavior first, then alter the input.

import { createServer } from "node:http";

const server = createServer((_req, res) => {
  res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "text/html; charset=utf-8" });
  res.end("<h1>Hello from TypeScript</h1>");
});

server.listen(4173);

Starter Configuration

Keep the project independently buildable.

package.json

{
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": {
    "build": "tsc",
    "start": "npm run build && node --enable-source-maps dist/server.js"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/node": "^26.4.0",
    "typescript": "^7.0.2"
  }
}

tsconfig.json

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "rootDir": "./src",
    "outDir": "./dist",
    "target": "ES2022",
    "module": "ES2022",
    "lib": ["ES2022", "DOM"],
    "types": ["node"],
    "strict": true,
    "sourceMap": true
  },
  "include": ["src/**/*.ts"]
}

Expected Visual Result

The output is the proof that the concept is working.

Visible Proof

The browser should visibly demonstrate: serve a visible browser page from a TypeScript Node server.

Data: None