"Cannot GET /" with Connect on Node.js

Question

I'm trying to start serving some static web pages using connect like this:

var connect = require("connect"); var nowjs = require("now"); var io = require("socket.io");   var app = connect.createServer(   connect.static(__dirname + '/public') );  app.listen(8180); 

So I added a simple index.html at the /public directory on the same directory as the app.js file is, but when I try to view the page on my browser I get this response from node:

Cannot GET /

What I'm doing wrong and how I can correct it?

Answer 1

You'll see the message Cannot GET / if you don't specify which page it is that you're trying to get, in other words if your URL is something like http://localhost:8180. Make sure you enter a page name, e.g. http://localhost:8180/index.html.

Answer 2

You may be here because you're reading the Apress PRO AngularJS book...

As is described in a comment to this question by KnarfaLingus:

[START QUOTE]

The connect module has been reorganized. do:

npm install connect  

and also

npm install serve-static 

Afterward your server.js can be written as:

var connect = require('connect'); var serveStatic = require('serve-static');  var app = connect();   app.use(serveStatic('../angularjs'));   app.listen(5000); 

[END QUOTE]

Although I do it, as the book suggests, in a more concise way like this:

var connect = require('connect'); var serveStatic = require('serve-static');  connect().use(     serveStatic("../angularjs") ).listen(5000);