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Introduction:
In today's interconnected world, knowing the IP address of your computer can be a valuable piece of information. Whether you are troubleshooting network issues, setting up security measures, or just curious about your online presence, obtaining your IP address is a straightforward process. In this article, we'll explore how to find the IP address of your computer using Express.js, a powerful and popular web framework for Node.js.

Express.js and IP Address Retrieval:
Express.js simplifies the process of building web applications with Node.js. In this tutorial, we'll leverage the framework to create a middleware that fetches the public IP address of a user's computer using the ipify API. The ipify API provides a simple and free way to retrieve your public IP address.

Setting Up the Express.js Server:
Before we dive into the IP address retrieval, let's set up a basic Express.js server. Make sure you have Node.js installed on your machine. Create a new file (e.g., app.js) and add the following code:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const port = 3000;

// Your middleware for IP address retrieval
app.use(trackVisitsMiddleware);

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Server is running on http://localhost:${port}`);
});

Fetching the IP Address Using Express.js Middleware:
Now, let's implement the trackVisitsMiddleware that will fetch the IP address using the ipify API. Add the following code to your app.js file:

const http = require('http');

const trackVisitsMiddleware = async (req, res, next) => {
  // Obtain the public IP address from api.ipify.org
  const api = {
    host: 'api.ipify.org',
    port: 80,
    path: '/',
  };

  try {
    const responseData = await fetchData(api);
    const ipAddress = responseData.trim();
    console.log(`Here is your IP Address: ${ipAddress}`);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching data:', error);
  }

  next();
};

const fetchData = async (api) => {
  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    const req = http.get(api, (response) => {
      let data = '';

      response.on('data', (chunk) => {
        data += chunk;
      });

      response.on('end', () => {
        resolve(data);
      });
    });

    req.on('error', (error) => {
      reject(error);
    });

    req.end();
  });
};

Running the Express.js Server:
Save your app.js file and open a terminal in the same directory. Run the following commands to install the required dependencies and start the server:

npm init -y
npm install express
node app.js

Visit http://localhost:3000 in your web browser, and you should see your server running. As you navigate through different routes, the middleware will fetch and log your public IP address to the console.

Conclusion:
Express.js simplifies the process of building web applications, and with the integration of middleware, you can enhance your application's functionality. In this tutorial, we explored how to use Express.js to fetch the public IP address of your computer using the ipify API. You can now apply this knowledge to enhance your applications or use it for various purposes, such as tracking visits or implementing security measures. Happy coding!

How to Find the IP Address of Your Computer Using Express.js