HTTP Intro

Node ships with a full HTTP server and client. No framework required — but most apps use one.

3 min read Level 1/5 #nodejs#http#server

What you'll learn

Know what `node:http` provides
Place Express, Fastify, Hono in context
Decide raw http vs framework

Node’s node:http module gives you a working HTTP server in 6 lines. No framework, no install. Everything else (Express, Fastify, Next.js, Astro) is built on top.

A Server in 6 Lines

import { createServer } from "node:http";

const server = createServer((req, res) => {
  res.end("Hello!");
});

server.listen(3000, () => console.log("up on :3000"));

Run with node server.mjs. Visit http://localhost:3000. Done.

Why Use a Framework?

node:http is bare bones. A framework adds:

Routing — /users/:id patterns
Middleware — auth, logging, body parsing
Helpers — res.json(obj), req.params.id
Error handling — central error pipeline
Ecosystem — plugins for everything

For toy projects, learning, or single-route services: raw http is fine. For real APIs: a framework.

The Landscape

Framework	Pitch
Express	The classic. Huge ecosystem. Industry default.
Fastify	Faster, schema-driven, modern.
Hono	Tiny, web-standards-first, runs everywhere.
NestJS	Opinionated, decorator-driven (TypeScript)
H3 / Nitro	Powers Nuxt — small, server-agnostic

This track covers raw node:http (this chapter) then Express (next chapter), because they’re the most widespread.

Cousins

node:https — HTTPS server, same API as http
node:http2 — HTTP/2 (multiplexed connections)

The basics transfer. Learn http once, you can read code for any framework on top.

Building a Server →