How to Create an HTTPS Server in Node.js

Node.js / November 17, 2020 / TopCode / 0

Introduction:

HTTPS stands for “HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure” and is an encrypted version of the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) used to access web pages. HTTPS is used to ensure that the communication between the web server and the client (your web browser) is secure and private. It does this by encrypting the data that is sent between the two so that it cannot be intercepted or accessed by anyone other than the intended recipient. HTTPS also provides authentication to verify that the website you are visiting is indeed the website you think it is and not a malicious site. HTTPS is essential for any site that asks for personal information or handles sensitive data, such as online banking, online shopping, and other forms of online transactions. Therefore, it is advisable to create an HTTPS server in node.js

When building server-side applications with Node.js, you will often need to set up an HTTPS server to ensure secure data transfer. As HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP, it requires an SSL/TLS certificate to be installed on your server. This document will guide you through the process of setting up an HTTPS server in Node.js.

Build HTTPS Server in Node.js

Creating an HTTPS server in Node.js is quite simple. All you need to do is use the https module and call the createServer function. This function takes two parameters – an object containing options for the server, and a callback function that will be called when a request is made to the server. Below is a simple example of this in action:

const https = require('https');

const options = {
key: fs.readFileSync('path/to/server.key'),
cert: fs.readFileSync('path/to/server.crt')
};

https.createServer(options, (req, res) => {
res.writeHead(200);
res.end('hello world\n');
}).listen(8000);

In this example, we create an HTTPS server and set it to listen on port 8000. The key and cert options are used to provide the server with the SSL/TLS certificate we mentioned earlier. Once the server is running, it will be able to serve requests over HTTPS.

How to use certificate in https?

In order to get an SSL/TLS certificate, you will need to create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and submit it to a certificate authority. Once the certificate is signed, you will be able to download it and use it in your Node.js application.

Here is an example of how to create a CSR in Node.js using the crypto module:

const crypto = require('crypto');

const { publicKey, privateKey } = crypto.generateKeyPairSync('rsa',
{modulusLength: 2048,
publicKeyEncoding: {type: 'spki',format: 'pem'},
privateKeyEncoding: {type: 'pkcs8',format: 'pem'}
});

const csr = crypto.generateCertificateSigningRequest('SHA256',
{commonName: 'www.example.com',
organizationName: 'Example Co.',
organizationUnit: 'IT',
countryName: 'US'
}, privateKey);

In this example, we generate a key pair and a CSR. The generated CSR can then be submitted to a certificate authority. Once the certificate is signed, you will be able to use it in your Node.js application.

Conclusion

Creating an HTTPS server in Node.js is fairly straightforward. All you need to do is use the https module and call the createServer function with an object containing the server options and a callback function. In order to use HTTPS, you will need to obtain an SSL/TLS certificate, which can be done by creating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and submitting it to a certificate authority. Once the certificate is signed, you can use it in your Node.js application.

cyber security, cyber-security, https, node.js, nodejs