Express.js proper file not being sent as response

Question

I know this will be some stupid thing but I don't know why express.js is doing this. So, I am sending a HTML file in a GET request

const express = require("express");
require('dotenv').config()

const app = express();
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5000;

app.use(express.static(__dirname + "/public"));

app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  // console.log("Hello");
  // res.sendFile(__dirname + "/public/index2.html");
})

app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log("Server started on port: " + PORT)
})

Now I was sending index.html instead of index2.html but it still sends the index.html file, even the console.log is not being printed.
Can someone please tell me why this is happening?

Answer 1

Express tests the routes one at a time in order until one matches.

app.use(express.static(__dirname + "/public"));

Your very first route, which is the static route, matches!

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If you want to prioritise your explicit end points over your static ones, then put the static route last.