In this Node.js tutorial for 2025, you’ll learn how to send a plain text response using the Node.js HTTP module without relying on any external frameworks like Express.js. This is a foundational skill for backend developers who want to understand how Node.js handles HTTP requests and responses at the core level.

Plain text responses are perfect for sending quick messages, debugging output, server acknowledgments, and lightweight API responses without HTML or JSON formatting. In this step-by-step tutorial, we’ll use Node.js’ built-in http module to set up a basic server that returns a Content-Type: text/plain header and sends back a clean, readable message to the client.

What You’ll Learn:

Setting up a basic Node.js HTTP server from scratch

How the HTTP request and response cycle works in Node.js

Writing a plain text response using res.write() and res.end()

Setting the Content-Type header to text/plain for correct rendering in browsers and clients

Handling multiple routes and sending different plain text messages

Adding HTTP status codes to your plain text response

Understanding the difference between plain text, HTML, and JSON responses in Node.js

How to handle Unicode characters and multi-line plain text messages

Debugging and testing your plain text response in the browser and with tools like curl or Postman

Real-World Use Cases for Plain Text Responses:
Sending server health-check or “heartbeat” messages
Returning short command-line tool outputs via an API endpoint
Simple acknowledgment responses for IoT or automation scripts
Debugging and logging server activity in a browser
Creating text-based APIs for lightweight data exchange

Best Practices Covered:

Always set the correct Content-Type for your responses

Close the response properly to avoid hanging connections

Use HTTP status codes to indicate the meaning of your response

Keep plain text responses minimal for faster client load times

Ensure correct character encoding for non-English text

By the end of this tutorial, you will:

Understand how to send plain text responses directly in Node.js

Be able to set headers and status codes manually for full control

Have a reusable code pattern for building simple Node.js servers without frameworks

This video is part of our Node.js 2025 Playlist, which covers HTTP servers, request handling, headers, status codes, and best practices for building production-ready backend applications using native Node.js modules.

Keywords Covered: Node.js HTTP module plain text response, send text/plain Node.js, Node.js basic server example, Node.js set Content-Type header, Node.js HTTP response tutorial, Node.js backend basics, plain text API Node.js, res.write Node.js, res.end Node.js, Node.js core HTTP server example 2025.

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