Node.JS hosting basic webpage Error: ENOENT

Question

new to node.js and was following a basic tutorial at link below. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/nodejs/nodejs_web_module.htm

var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');
var url = require('url');

// Create a server
http.createServer( function (request, response) {  
   // Parse the request containing file name
   var pathname = url.parse(request.url).pathname;
   
   // Print the name of the file for which request is made.
   console.log("Request for " + pathname + " received.");
   
   // Read the requested file content from file system
   fs.readFile(pathname.substr(1), function (err, data) {
      if (err) {
         console.log(err);
         // HTTP Status: 404 : NOT FOUND
         // Content Type: text/plain
         response.writeHead(404, {'Content-Type': 'text/html'});
      }else {   
         //Page found     
         // HTTP Status: 200 : OK
         // Content Type: text/plain
         response.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/html'});    
         
         // Write the content of the file to response body
         response.write(data.toString());       
      }
      // Send the response body 
      response.end();
   });   
}).listen(8081);

// Console will print the message
console.log('Server running at http://127.0.0.1:8081/');

created 2 files the index.html and the server.js completely identical to the post. Then when i try to run it with

node server.js

No error message shows up, but when i try to access the page on my browser it does not connect and an error shows up in the console.

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Server running at http://127.0.0.1:8081/

Request for / received.

{ Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '' errno: -2, code: 'ENOENT', syscall: 'open', path: '' }

Answer 1

In the given code you have:

// Print the name of the file for which request is made.
console.log("Request for " + pathname + " received.");

// Read the requested file content from file system
fs.readFile(pathname.substr(1), function (err, data) {

Because the path is / the pathname.substr(1) will result in an empty string. And because you don't have a file that has no name, the fs.readFile does not find a file to read which results in an ENOENT error.

The given code does not automatically interpret an empty string as index.html.

So you either have to use http://127.0.0.1:8081/index.html in the browser. Or change the logic of the code to interpret the empty string as index.html.