secure-ssl-server

🔒 Effortless HTTPS server creation for Node.js with automatic certificate reloading

A lightweight, zero-dependency SSL helper that simplifies HTTPS server setup in Express applications. Perfect for development environments and production deployments that need dynamic certificate management.

✨ Features

• 🚀 Quick Setup - Create HTTPS servers with a single function call
• 🔄 Auto-Reload - Watch SSL certificates and automatically reload when they change
• 🛡️ Secure by Default - Built-in certificate validation and error handling
• 📦 Lightweight - Zero dependencies, minimal footprint
• ⚡ Express Integration - Seamless integration with Express.js
• 🔮 Future-Ready - v2.0 planned with multi-framework support and Let's Encrypt integration

📋 Requirements

• Node.js 14.0.0 or higher
• SSL certificate and private key files

📦 Installation

npm install secure-ssl-server

🚀 Quick Start

import express from 'express';
import { createHttpsExpressServer } from 'secure-ssl-server';

const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello HTTPS! 🔒');
});

const server = createHttpsExpressServer({
  certPath: './certs/cert.pem',
  keyPath: './certs/key.pem',
  port: 8443
}, app);

📖 Usage

Basic HTTPS Server

import express from 'express';
import { createHttpsExpressServer } from 'secure-ssl-server';

const app = express();

const server = createHttpsExpressServer({
  certPath: './certs/cert.pem',
  keyPath: './certs/key.pem',
  port: 443
}, app);

With Certificate Watching

Enable automatic certificate reloading when files change:

const server = createHttpsExpressServer({
  certPath: './certs/cert.pem',
  keyPath: './certs/key.pem',
  watch: true,  // Enable file watching
  port: 8443,
  onReload: () => {
    console.log('Certificates have been reloaded! 🔄');
  }
}, app);

With CA Bundle

For certificates that require intermediate certificates:

const server = createHttpsExpressServer({
  certPath: './certs/cert.pem',
  keyPath: './certs/key.pem',
  caPath: './certs/ca-bundle.pem',  // Optional CA bundle
  port: 8443
}, app);

Manual Certificate Loading

For more control, you can load certificates separately:

import { loadSSL } from 'secure-ssl-server';
import https from 'https';
import express from 'express';

const app = express();
const ssl = loadSSL({
  certPath: './certs/cert.pem',
  keyPath: './certs/key.pem'
});

const server = https.createServer(ssl, app);
server.listen(8443);

🔧 API Reference

createHttpsExpressServer(options, app)

Creates and starts an HTTPS server with the provided Express app.

Parameters

• options Object - Configuration object
  • certPath string - Path to SSL certificate file (required)
  • keyPath string - Path to private key file (required)
  • caPath string - Path to CA bundle file (optional)
  • port number - Port to listen on (default: 443)
  • watch boolean - Enable certificate file watching (default: false)
  • onReload Function - Callback fired when certificates are reloaded (optional)
• app Express - Express application instance

Returns

• https.Server - HTTPS server instance

loadSSL(options)

Loads SSL certificates from the filesystem with validation.

Parameters

• options Object - Configuration object
  • certPath string - Path to SSL certificate file
  • keyPath string - Path to private key file
  • caPath string - Path to CA bundle file (optional)

Returns

• Object - SSL configuration object
  • cert string - Certificate content
  • key string - Private key content
  • ca string|null - CA bundle content (if provided)

🔐 Generating Self-Signed Certificates

For development purposes, you can generate self-signed certificates:

# Generate private key
openssl genrsa -out key.pem 2048

# Generate certificate
openssl req -new -x509 -key key.pem -out cert.pem -days 365

🛠️ Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
npm test

# Run linter
npm run lint

# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage

🗺️ Roadmap

v2.0 (Coming Soon)

• 🌐 Multi-framework support (Fastify, Koa, Hapi)
• 🔐 Let's Encrypt integration with automatic certificate renewal
• 📊 Certificate expiration monitoring and alerts
• 🔧 Enhanced configuration options
• 📝 TypeScript definitions

❓ FAQ

Q: Does this work in production?
A: Yes! The package is production-ready, especially useful for applications that need dynamic certificate management.

Q: Can I use this with Let's Encrypt?
A: Currently, you need to manage Let's Encrypt certificates separately. Full integration is planned for v2.0.

Q: What happens if certificate files are invalid?
A: The package validates certificates on load and throws descriptive errors if formats are invalid.

Q: Does watching certificates impact performance?
A: No, the file watcher is efficient and only triggers on actual file changes.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

📄 License

MIT © 2025 Omar Gamal

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with ❤️ for the Node.js community.

Need help? Open an issue