Install Node.js in Windows

If you're like me you are forced to use windows at work, and I know that is quite a few people.  I'm not going to get into why that's a bad thing or any of the pro-linux talk, it is what it is.  I'm also not going to get into the fact that if you're a gamer chances are you're running windows at home (although I hope http://www.humblebundle.com/ changes all that) as linux isn't the preferred os for gaming, not that it isn't better or worse, again: it is what it is.  For the record, I am pro-linux.

For most of what this blog is about is based on node.js.  So we need a way to install and use node.js in windows.

Let's proceed to http://nodejs.org/#download

That's the windows msi installer, the one we want.  By the time you read this they might be on v1.0.0 for all I know, but I'm guessing it'll be about the same.  Currently the 0.6.5 is ~3 MB.  Let's run it.

And click "Next".

We're almost done.

Let's open up a text file in notepad and copy/paste this test node.js application:

  require('http').createServer(function(req,res){

        res.writeHead(200,'text/plain');

        res.end('Hello World!');

    }).listen('8080');

Save it as server.js to your root directory C:\ or whatever it may be.


So now we run in a command prompt/powershell:
You can bring that up with Windows Key + R and typing in CMD


Your node.exe is located usually <root>\Program Files\nodejs\node.exe
so probably: C:\Progra~1\nodejs\node.exe

node.exe c:\server.js

The server.js is the one I had you create and save to your root directory earlier.

If it's your first time doing this you'll end up with:

Click "Allow access"

Now open up your browser (here I am using Chrome 17)

And let's see if our server.js is running by following the link or typing it in:

http://localhost:8080/

If your results look something like this you've done it!

Node.js is fully installed, running, and tested.  Awesome.