websockets not working with https.createServer

Question

Our websockets are working under Http/express but when I move to https.createServer I cant get a socket connention.

FYI:The project is almost complete and we are in deep with express-ws, so we cont change the socket lib at this stage

Here is an example of my code:

import express from 'express';
import expressWs from 'express-ws'

const app = express();
const port = 443

expressWs(app);

app.ws('/api/websocket',socketApiLogic)
app.get('/',indexLogic)
app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../build/')));
app.use('*', express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../build/404.html')));


if (process.env.prod || process.env.NODE_ENV == 'prod') {
  const server = require('https').createServer({
                                    key: fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname,'../ssl/key.pem')),
                                    cert: fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname,'../ssl/cert.pem')),
                                  }, app)
  
  require('http').createServer(function (req, res) {
      res.writeHead(301, { "Location": "https://" + req.headers['host'] + req.url });
      res.end();
  }).listen(80);
  
  server.addListener('upgrade', (req, res, head) => console.log('UPGRADE:', req.url));
  server.on('error', (err) => console.error(err));
  
  server.listen(port, () => {
         console.log('= Prod mode = ' + port);
    });
  
} else {
  
  app.listen(port, () => {
        console.log('= Dev mode = ' + port);
 });

}

Thanks for any help

As an alternative approach, you can handle ssl certificates at the proxy level. This way your node server will only run on HTTP and proxy like nginx will handle SSL and redirection. — Shaharyar, Feb 02 '21 at 12:53
Hi Shaharyar, what would that look like? Would you have an example of 80 redirection to 433 + wrapping 433 with key & cert file for the express App? Thx — Brian, Feb 02 '21 at 13:04

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 02 '21 at 16:05

From the documentation You can pass the server as the 2nd argument.

You code should be more like

// imports & config

import express from 'express';
import expressWs from 'express-ws'

const app = express();
const port = 443
const isProd = process.env.prod || process.env.NODE_ENV == 'prod'

if (isProd) {
  startProd()
} else {
  startLocal()
}

// SSL server
function startProd(){

  setupPaths()

// ~~~~~~~~~~~ SETUP YOUR SSL SERVER

  const server = require('https').createServer({
                                    key: fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname,'../ssl/key.pem')),
                                    cert: fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname,'../ssl/cert.pem')),
                                  }, app)
  
  require('http').createServer(function (req, res) {
      res.writeHead(301, { "Location": "https://" + req.headers['host'] + req.url });
      res.end();
  }).listen(80);
  
  server.addListener('upgrade', (req, res, head) => console.log('UPGRADE:', req.url));
  server.on('error', (err) => console.error(err));
  
  server.listen(port, () => {
         console.log('= Prod mode = ' + port);
    });

// ~~~~~~~~~~~ USE YOUR SSL SERVER

  expressWs(app,server);
  app.ws('/api/websocket',socketApiLogic)
  catchAllPaths()
}

// localhost server
function startLocal(){

  expressWs(app);
  app.ws('/api/websocket',socketApiLogic)
  setupPaths()
  catchAllPaths()
  app.listen(port, () => {
        console.log('= Server started = ' + port);
 });
}

// Add paths
function setupPaths(){
app.get('/',indexLogic)
}
function catchAllPaths(){
app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../build/')));
app.use('*', express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../build/404.html')));
}

websockets not working with https.createServer

1 Answers1