Quick web stack for vanilla JavaScript

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Instant web stack for Node.js

-port <number> Port to listen on (default: 3000)

-ip <address> IP address to bind to (default: 127.0.0.1)

-public <path> Public directory path (default: ./public)

-api <file> Path to routes file (default: ./routes.js)

-secure Enable HTTPS (requires cert.pem and key.pem - run ./generate-certs.sh)

-help Show help message

Instaserve supports HTTPS with self-signed certificates. To enable HTTPS:

Generate certificates:

This creates cert.pem and key.pem files and adds them to your system's trust store.
Run with HTTPS:

The certificate generation script:

Creates a self-signed certificate valid for 365 days
Automatically adds the certificate to your system trust store (macOS/Linux)
Prevents browser security warnings

The routes file (routes.js by default) defines your API endpoints. Each route is a function that handles requests to a specific URL path.

export default { // Handle GET /hello hello: (req, res, data) => { return { message: 'Hello World' } } }

Special Routes (Middleware)

Routes starting with _ are middleware functions that run on every request before the main route handler. They are useful for:

Logging requests
Authentication
Request modification
Response headers

Middleware functions can:

Return false to continue to the next middleware or main route
Return a truthy value to stop processing and use that as the response
Modify the request or response objects

export default { // Log every request _log: (req, res, data) => { console.log(`${req.method} ${req.url}`) return false // Continue processing }, // Block unauthorized requests _auth: (req, res, data) => { if (!data.token) { res.writeHead(401) return 'Unauthorized' } return false // Continue if authorized } }

Each route function receives:

req - The HTTP request object
res - The HTTP response object
data - Combined data from:
- POST body (if JSON)
- URL query parameters
- Form data

// routes.js export default { // Middleware example _debug: (req, res, data) => { console.log('Request:', req.url) return false // Continue to next route }, // API endpoint api: (req, res, data) => { return { status: 'ok', data } }, // Error handling testerror: () => { throw new Error('Test error') } }

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