Skip to main content

Introduction to Hasty Server

Hasty Server is a lightweight, educational web server framework built with raw TCP sockets in JavaScript. It provides Express.js-like functionality while maintaining zero dependencies and serving as a learning tool for understanding HTTP internals.

🎯 What is Hasty Server?​

Hasty Server is designed as a minimal, educational web framework that helps developers understand:

  • How HTTP servers work under the hood
  • Raw TCP socket programming
  • HTTP request/response parsing
  • Basic routing mechanisms
  • CORS implementation
  • Static file serving
Educational Purpose

This is intentionally not a production-ready server. It's built for learning and experimentation, providing a clear view into web server fundamentals without the complexity of full-featured frameworks.

✨ Key Features​

  • Zero Dependencies: Built entirely with Node.js built-ins
  • Express-like API: Familiar routing patterns (app.get(), app.post(), etc.)
  • TypeScript Support: Full IntelliSense via JSDoc annotations (no build step required)
  • CORS Support: Built-in CORS handling with preflight OPTIONS
  • Static Files: Basic static file serving with security protections
  • Route Parameters: Dynamic route matching with safe URL decoding
  • Chainable API: Fluent response methods for clean code

🚀 Quick Start​

const { createServer } = require('hasty-server');

const app = createServer();

// Basic route
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.json({ message: 'Hello from Hasty Server!' });
});

// Route with parameters
app.get('/users/:id', (req, res) => {
  const userId = req.params.id;
  res.json({ userId, message: `User ${userId} details` });
});

// Enable CORS
app.cors(true);

// Serve static files
app.static('/public', './static');

// Start server
app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running on http://localhost:3000');
});

📚 Learning Path​

  1. Quick Start - Get up and running in minutes
  2. Routing Guide - Understand route handling and parameters
  3. Static Files Guide - Learn about serving static assets
  4. Error Handling Guide - Handle errors gracefully
  5. Limitations Guide - Understand what Hasty Server does NOT support

🔧 Technical Overview​

Architecture​

  • Raw TCP Sockets: Direct TCP connection handling
  • HTTP Parser: Custom HTTP request/response parsing
  • Route Matcher: Deterministic route matching algorithm
  • Response Handler: Stream-based response processing
  • Security: Basic security protections (directory traversal prevention)

Core Components​

  • server/index.js - Main server implementation
  • server/response.js - Response handling and utilities
  • lib/httpParser.js - HTTP request parsing
  • lib/cors.js - CORS handling utilities

🎯 When to Use Hasty Server​

✅ Perfect for:

  • Learning HTTP server internals
  • Understanding web framework fundamentals
  • Educational projects and tutorials
  • Prototyping basic web servers
  • Understanding CORS implementation

❌ Not suitable for:

  • Production applications
  • High-traffic websites
  • Complex web applications
  • Enterprise-grade security requirements

🎓 Educational Value​

Hasty Server provides transparent implementation of:

  • HTTP Protocol: See exactly how HTTP requests are parsed
  • TCP Networking: Understand socket programming basics
  • Routing: Learn how URL patterns are matched
  • Middleware Concepts: Understand request processing pipelines
  • Security: See basic security implementations

🚀 Next Steps​

Ready to dive deeper? Start with our Quick Start Guide to get your first Hasty Server running in under 5 minutes!

Then explore:

Built with ❤️ for the developer community. Hasty Server is open source and welcomes contributions!