Simple Web Server using Node.js and Express

This project is a simple web server built using Node.js and Express. It serves static files, logs access requests, and supports file uploads and downloads. The server logs each request to an access.log file and prints request details to the console. It uses Multer for handling file uploads, storing them in the shared directory while preserving the original filenames. The server listens on all network interfaces and dynamically determines the local IP address for wireless LAN connections.

Features:

• Static File Serving: Serves static files from the public directory.
• Request Logging: Logs all incoming requests to access.log and prints them to the console.
• File Uploads: Supports file uploads via a POST request to /upload, storing files in the shared directory.
• File Downloads: Allows file downloads via a GET request to /download, serving files from the shared directory.
• Dynamic IP Address: Automatically determines and uses the local IPv4 address for wireless LAN connections.

Sure! Here are the steps and tools you need to download and set up your project as a beginner:

Prerequisites

1. Node.js and npm: Node.js is a JavaScript runtime, and npm is the Node.js package manager. Download and install them from nodejs.org.

2. Visual Studio Code: A powerful code editor. Download and install it from code.visualstudio.com.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Clone the Repository

   • Open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you want to store your project.
   • Clone the repository (replace <repository-url> with your actual repository URL):

     git clone https://github.com/newnol/firstWebsite/
     cd firstWebsite

2. Install Dependencies

   • In the terminal, run the following command to install the project dependencies:

     npm install

3. Run the Development Server

   • Start the development server with the following command:

     npm run dev

   • Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to see your website in action.

4. Run the Production Server

   • Build the project for production:

     npm run build

   • Start the production server:

     npm start

5. Access the Server

   • Open your browser and navigate to http://<local-ip-address>:3000 to access the server.

Additional Tools

1. Postman: A tool for testing APIs. Download and install it from postman.com.

2. Git: A version control system. Download and install it from git-scm.com.

Project Structure

Here's a brief overview of the project structure:

access.log
package.json
public/
	css/
		global.css
		styles.css
	file.html
	images/
	index.html
server.js
shared/
	Git-2.46.0-64-bit.exe
	test.txt

Key Files

• server.js: The main server file.
• public: Contains static files like HTML, CSS, and images.
• shared: Directory for uploaded and downloadable files.
• package.json: Contains project metadata and dependencies.

Useful Commands

• Install Dependencies: npm install
• Run Development Server: npm run dev
• Build for Production: npm run build
• Start Production Server: npm start

By following these steps, you should be able to set up and run your project successfully.