The http module vs Express

Model answer. The http module gives you a raw server: one callback per request, with the request and response objects.

import http from 'node:http';
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  if (req.method === 'GET' && req.url === '/health') {
    res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
    return res.end(JSON.stringify({ ok: true }));
  }
  res.writeHead(404); res.end('Not found');
});
server.listen(3000);

You must parse URLs and bodies yourself, set headers manually, and write your own routing with if statements.

Express is a thin framework on top of http that adds:

• Routing by method and path, with parameters (app.get('/users/:id', ...)).
• Middleware: a chain for logging, parsing JSON bodies, authentication, CORS and error handling.
• Response helpers: res.json(), res.status(), res.redirect(), res.sendFile().
• Serving static files with express.static.

Express does not replace Node; it organises the same request/response flow so large APIs stay maintainable.