expressjsHow do I serve an index.html file using Express.js?

To serve an index.html file using Express.js, you will need to create a route that will serve the index.html file. The following code block will create a route that will serve the index.html file located in the public directory:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

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

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.sendFile(__dirname + '/public/index.html');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server started on port 3000');
});

The code above will create a route that will serve the index.html file located in the public directory when the route is accessed.

Code explanation

• const express = require('express');: This line imports the Express.js library.
• const app = express();: This line creates an Express.js application.
• app.use(express.static(__dirname + '/public'));: This line tells Express.js to serve static files from the public directory.
• app.get('/', (req, res) => {: This line creates a route that will be called when the root route is accessed.
• res.sendFile(__dirname + '/public/index.html');: This line tells Express.js to serve the index.html file located in the public directory.
• app.listen(3000, () => {: This line tells Express.js to listen for requests on port 3000.

Helpful links

• Express.js Documentation
• MDN Web Docs - Serving Static Files

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