How to create an HTTPS server in Node.js?

Question

Given an SSL key and certificate, how does one create an HTTPS service?

Answer 1

To enable your app to listen for both http and https on ports 80 and 443 respectively, do the following

Create an express app:

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

The app returned by express() is a JavaScript function. It can be be passed to Node’s HTTP servers as a callback to handle requests. This makes it easy to provide both HTTP and HTTPS versions of your app using the same code base.

You can do so as follows:

var express = require('express');
var https = require('https');
var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');
var app = express();

var options = {
  key: fs.readFileSync('/path/to/key.pem'),
  cert: fs.readFileSync('/path/to/cert.pem')
};

http.createServer(app).listen(80);
https.createServer(options, app).listen(443);

For complete detail see the doc

Answer 2

The Express API doc spells this out pretty clearly.

Additionally this answer gives the steps to create a self-signed certificate.

I have added some comments and a snippet from the Node.js HTTPS documentation:

var express = require('express');
var https = require('https');
var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');

// This line is from the Node.js HTTPS documentation.
var options = {
  key: fs.readFileSync('test/fixtures/keys/agent2-key.pem'),
  cert: fs.readFileSync('test/fixtures/keys/agent2-cert.cert')
};

// Create a service (the app object is just a callback).
var app = express();

// Create an HTTP service.
http.createServer(app).listen(80);
// Create an HTTPS service identical to the HTTP service.
https.createServer(options, app).listen(443);

Answer 3

1. Download rar file for openssl set up from here: https://indy.fulgan.com/SSL/openssl-0.9.8r-i386-win32-rev2.zip
2. Just copy your folder in c drive.
3. Create openssl.cnf file and download their content from : http://web.mit.edu/crypto/openssl.cnf openssl.cnf can be put any where but path shoud be correct when we give in command prompt.
4. Open command propmt and set openssl.cnf path C:\set OPENSSL_CONF=d:/openssl.cnf 5.Run this in cmd : C:\openssl-0.9.8r-i386-win32-rev2>openssl.exe
5. Then Run OpenSSL> genrsa -des3 -out server.enc.key 1024
6. Then it will ask for pass phrases : enter 4 to 11 character as your password for certificate
7. Then run this Openssl>req -new -key server.enc.key -out server.csr
8. Then it will ask for some details like country code state name etc. fill it freely. 10 . Then Run Openssl > rsa -in server.enc.key -out server.key
9. Run this OpenSSL> x509 -req -days 365 -in server.csr -signkey server.key -out server.crt then use previous code that are on stack overflow Thanks