I'm just starting to learn Node.js and right now, I'm trying to use a Node.js Application through cPanel to provide a JSON response when its app's URL is accessed.
When visiting the app's URL, it's evident that the Node.js server is working as it should. So after editing the main JS file, and restarting the Node.js app, changes are reflected when visiting the URL again.
My problem:
Within the function of https.createServer( function (req, res) {});, I want to make an HTTPS request to a PHP file elsewhere, which returns a JSON response. At the moment, I can't even get a response or error from any type of request with the PHP file.
var https = require('https');
var server = https.createServer(function (req, res) {
var message = "";
res.writeHead(200, {
'Content-Type': 'text/plain'
});
var options = {
host: "mydomain.com",
path: '/myPhpScript.php'
};
https.get(options, function(res) {
var bodyChunks = [];
res.on('data', function(chunk) {
bodyChunks.push(chunk);
}).on('end', function() {
var body = Buffer.concat(bodyChunks);
message += body;
})
}).on('error', function(e) {
message += e;
});
res.end(message);
});
server.listen();
As you can see, message would be what's displayed to the browser window, but it's empty. Nothing appears when visiting the App URL. Is it possible to make an HTTPS request with a Node.js HTTPS server?
Note:
I've also tried with native-request and axios and have experienced the same issue.
Server code:
var http = require('http');
var https = require("https");
var server = http.createServer(function (req, res) {
let call = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
var options = {
host: "jarrenmorris.com",
port: 443,
path: '/gamesense/r6_db/1.json'
};
https.get(options, function (res) {
var bodyChunks = [];
res.on('data', function (chunk) {
bodyChunks.push(chunk);
}).on('end', function () {
resolve(Buffer.concat(bodyChunks));
});
}).on('error', function (e) {
reject(e);
});
});
call.then((data) => {
// do something here with the successful request/json
res.writeHead(200, {
'Content-Type': 'text/plain'
});
res.end(data);
}).catch((err) => {
// do something here with the failure request/json
// res.write("ERROR:");
res.end(err);
});
});
server.listen(8081, "127.0.0.1", () => {
console.log(`Server listen on ${server.address().address}:${server.address().port} `);
});
Response:
{"name":"tim","age":"42"}
First thing i noticed, while i tried to run your code was, you cant establish a connection to your node.js.
The reason for this was you use the https module, but didnt specify an certificates/keyfiles. Skip this, and work with http till you get the result you want.
Then i wrapped you https request to the external api/file in a promise.
This allows a simple chaining and better readability of the code.
When the promises resolves/fullfill, we answer the request on the http server with the data we received from the external request.
The res.end in your code (where you put it) made no sense, since you didnt wait for the external request to complete. Thats the reason why its nothing is shown in the browser window.
I am a beginner with node so excuse me if this question is too obvious. Also I tried the official documentation but I could resolve this problem.
My node server is communicating with an external api through a service.
This is what I ve got so far in my service api-service.js :
var http = require('http');
exports.searchNear = function(lat, long, next){
var options = {
host: '1xx.xx.1xx.1x',
path: '/api/v1/geo,
method: 'GET'
};
var req = http.request(options, function(res) {
var msg = '';
res.setEncoding('utf8');
res.on('data', function(chunk) {
msg += chunk;
});
res.on('end', function() {
console.log(JSON.parse(msg));
});
});
req.on('error', function(err) {
// Handle error
});
req.write('data');
req.end();
var mis = 'hello';
next(null, mis);
}
At this moment I can get the Json and log it in the console. But I want to store the returned json in a variable so I could pass in the next() callback.
I tried to add a callback to the end event like:
exports.searchNear = function(lat, long, next){
....
.....
var req = http.request(options, function(res) {
.....
res.on('end', function(callback) {
console.log(JSON.parse(msg));
callback(msg);
});
});
....
req.end('', function(red){
console.log(red);
});
}
Thank you in advance.
The callback's name in your code should be "next":
var http = require('http');
exports.searchNear = function(lat, long, next) {
var options = {
host: '1xx.xx.1xx.1x',
path: '/api/v1/geo,
method: 'GET'
};
var req = http.request(options, function(res) {
var msg = '';
res.setEncoding('utf8');
res.on('data', function(chunk) {
msg += chunk;
});
res.on('end', function() {
console.log(JSON.parse(msg));
next(null, msg);
});
});
req.on('error', function(err) {
// Handle error
});
req.write('data');
req.end();
}
And then you should use your function like this:
searchNear(myLong, myLat, function (err, mesg) {
console.log('your JSON: ', mesg)
});
I may be misunderstanding your question but the obvious solution is to store your parsed json in a variable and pass the variable to next()
var parsed = JSON.parse(msg);
I am attempting to test drive an node.js application based on express. I want to return a simple 404.html, which I can successfully do, but afterward, calling close on the node http server gets this error:
Fatal error: Cannot call method 'call' of undefined
I am having a hard time tracking down what is undefined because the same method works beautifully when called elsewhere.
Here is my express code:
function Server() {
this.port = 9000;
this.staticDir = '/public';
}
function handleHomeRequest(req, res) {
var body = '<html><body>Home Page.</body></html>';
res.send(body);
}
Server.prototype.start = function () {
expServer = express();
expServer.get('/', function (req, res) { handleHomeRequest(req, res); });
expServer.use(function (req, res) {
res.status(404).sendfile('./src/public/404.html');
});
runningServer = expServer.listen(this.port);
};
Server.prototype.stop = function (cb) {
runningServer.close(cb);
};
Here is my nodeunit test code:
var ROOT_URL = 'http://localhost',
PORT = 9000,
URL = ROOT_URL + ':' + PORT + '/',
http = require('http'),
Server = require('./server.js'),
server;
exports.setUp = function(done) {
server = new Server();
done();
};
exports.tearDown = function (done) {
server = null;
done();
};
exports['Requesting a page that does not exist results in a 404.'] = function (test) {
server.start();
httpGet(URL + 'guaranteedNotToExistPage', function(res, data) {
test.equal(404, res.statusCode, 'Requesting a page that dne did not return with a status code of 404.');
test.ok(data.indexOf('404 Page Not Found') > -1, 'The 404 page was not returned.');
//test.done();
server.stop(test.done);
});
};
function httpGet(url, callback) {
var request = http.get(url),
receivedData = '';
request.on('response', function (response) {
response.setEncoding('utf8');
response.on('data', function (chunk) {
receivedData += chunk;
});
response.on('end', function () {
callback(response, receivedData);
});
});
}
The result of the http get request come back, the failure only occurs when I call server.stop(test.done); however, stopping the server is required to ensure my unit tests can be run in any order and independent.
First, where runningServer is defined? I can't see a
var runningServer;
anywhere in the first peace of code.
So, if you write a value in prototype.start I doubt you can access it on prototype.stop that is a different scope.
Second, {expressListener}.close() in node 0.6 was just synchronous, they added the callback on the 0.8. So, check the node.js version to be sure that the {cb} is correctly handled.
How can I make an HTTP request from within Node.js or Express.js? I need to connect to another service. I am hoping the call is asynchronous and that the callback contains the remote server's response.
Here is a snippet of some code from a sample of mine. It's asynchronous and returns a JSON object. It can do any form of GET request.
Note that there are more optimal ways (just a sample) - for example, instead of concatenating the chunks you put into an array and join it etc... Hopefully, it gets you started in the right direction:
const http = require('http');
const https = require('https');
/**
* getJSON: RESTful GET request returning JSON object(s)
* #param options: http options object
* #param callback: callback to pass the results JSON object(s) back
*/
module.exports.getJSON = (options, onResult) => {
console.log('rest::getJSON');
const port = options.port == 443 ? https : http;
let output = '';
const req = port.request(options, (res) => {
console.log(`${options.host} : ${res.statusCode}`);
res.setEncoding('utf8');
res.on('data', (chunk) => {
output += chunk;
});
res.on('end', () => {
let obj = JSON.parse(output);
onResult(res.statusCode, obj);
});
});
req.on('error', (err) => {
// res.send('error: ' + err.message);
});
req.end();
};
It's called by creating an options object like:
const options = {
host: 'somesite.com',
port: 443,
path: '/some/path',
method: 'GET',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}
};
And providing a callback function.
For example, in a service, I require the REST module above and then do this:
rest.getJSON(options, (statusCode, result) => {
// I could work with the resulting HTML/JSON here. I could also just return it
console.log(`onResult: (${statusCode})\n\n${JSON.stringify(result)}`);
res.statusCode = statusCode;
res.send(result);
});
UPDATE
If you're looking for async/await (linear, no callback), promises, compile time support and intellisense, we created a lightweight HTTP and REST client that fits that bill:
Microsoft typed-rest-client
Try using the simple http.get(options, callback) function in node.js:
var http = require('http');
var options = {
host: 'www.google.com',
path: '/index.html'
};
var req = http.get(options, function(res) {
console.log('STATUS: ' + res.statusCode);
console.log('HEADERS: ' + JSON.stringify(res.headers));
// Buffer the body entirely for processing as a whole.
var bodyChunks = [];
res.on('data', function(chunk) {
// You can process streamed parts here...
bodyChunks.push(chunk);
}).on('end', function() {
var body = Buffer.concat(bodyChunks);
console.log('BODY: ' + body);
// ...and/or process the entire body here.
})
});
req.on('error', function(e) {
console.log('ERROR: ' + e.message);
});
There is also a general http.request(options, callback) function which allows you to specify the request method and other request details.
Request and Superagent are pretty good libraries to use.
note: request is deprecated, use at your risk!
Using request:
var request=require('request');
request.get('https://someplace',options,function(err,res,body){
if(err) //TODO: handle err
if(res.statusCode === 200 ) //etc
//TODO Do something with response
});
You can also use Requestify, a really cool and very simple HTTP client I wrote for nodeJS + it supports caching.
Just do the following for GET method request:
var requestify = require('requestify');
requestify.get('http://example.com/api/resource')
.then(function(response) {
// Get the response body (JSON parsed or jQuery object for XMLs)
response.getBody();
}
);
This version is based on the initially proposed by bryanmac function which uses promises, better error handling, and is rewritten in ES6.
let http = require("http"),
https = require("https");
/**
* getJSON: REST get request returning JSON object(s)
* #param options: http options object
*/
exports.getJSON = function (options) {
console.log('rest::getJSON');
let reqHandler = +options.port === 443 ? https : http;
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
let req = reqHandler.request(options, (res) => {
let output = '';
console.log('rest::', options.host + ':' + res.statusCode);
res.setEncoding('utf8');
res.on('data', function (chunk) {
output += chunk;
});
res.on('end', () => {
try {
let obj = JSON.parse(output);
// console.log('rest::', obj);
resolve({
statusCode: res.statusCode,
data: obj
});
}
catch (err) {
console.error('rest::end', err);
reject(err);
}
});
});
req.on('error', (err) => {
console.error('rest::request', err);
reject(err);
});
req.end();
});
};
As a result you don't have to pass in a callback function, instead getJSON() returns a promise. In the following example the function is used inside of an ExpressJS route handler
router.get('/:id', (req, res, next) => {
rest.getJSON({
host: host,
path: `/posts/${req.params.id}`,
method: 'GET'
}).then(({ statusCode, data }) => {
res.json(data);
}, (error) => {
next(error);
});
});
On error it delegates the error to the server error handling middleware.
Unirest is the best library I've come across for making HTTP requests from Node. It's aiming at being a multiplatform framework, so learning how it works on Node will serve you well if you need to use an HTTP client on Ruby, PHP, Java, Python, Objective C, .Net or Windows 8 as well. As far as I can tell the unirest libraries are mostly backed by existing HTTP clients (e.g. on Java, the Apache HTTP client, on Node, Mikeal's Request libary) - Unirest just puts a nicer API on top.
Here are a couple of code examples for Node.js:
var unirest = require('unirest')
// GET a resource
unirest.get('http://httpbin.org/get')
.query({'foo': 'bar'})
.query({'stack': 'overflow'})
.end(function(res) {
if (res.error) {
console.log('GET error', res.error)
} else {
console.log('GET response', res.body)
}
})
// POST a form with an attached file
unirest.post('http://httpbin.org/post')
.field('foo', 'bar')
.field('stack', 'overflow')
.attach('myfile', 'examples.js')
.end(function(res) {
if (res.error) {
console.log('POST error', res.error)
} else {
console.log('POST response', res.body)
}
})
You can jump straight to the Node docs here
Check out shred. It's a node HTTP client created and maintained by spire.io that handles redirects, sessions, and JSON responses. It's great for interacting with rest APIs. See this blog post for more details.
Check out httpreq: it's a node library I created because I was frustrated there was no simple http GET or POST module out there ;-)
For anyone who looking for a library to send HTTP requests in NodeJS, axios is also a good choice. It supports Promises :)
Install (npm): npm install axios
Example GET request:
const axios = require('axios');
axios.get('https://google.com')
.then(function (response) {
// handle success
console.log(response);
})
.catch(function (error) {
// handle error
console.log(error);
})
Github page
Update 10/02/2022
Node.js integrates fetch in v17.5.0 in experimental mode. Now, you can use fetch to send requests just like you do on the client-side. For now, it is an experimental feature so be careful.
If you just need to make simple get requests and don't need support for any other HTTP methods take a look at: simple-get:
var get = require('simple-get');
get('http://example.com', function (err, res) {
if (err) throw err;
console.log(res.statusCode); // 200
res.pipe(process.stdout); // `res` is a stream
});
Use reqclient: not designed for scripting purpose
like request or many other libraries. Reqclient allows in the constructor
specify many configurations useful when you need to reuse the same
configuration again and again: base URL, headers, auth options,
logging options, caching, etc. Also has useful features like
query and URL parsing, automatic query encoding and JSON parsing, etc.
The best way to use the library is create a module to export the object
pointing to the API and the necessary configurations to connect with:
Module client.js:
let RequestClient = require("reqclient").RequestClient
let client = new RequestClient({
baseUrl: "https://myapp.com/api/v1",
cache: true,
auth: {user: "admin", pass: "secret"}
})
module.exports = client
And in the controllers where you need to consume the API use like this:
let client = require('client')
//let router = ...
router.get('/dashboard', (req, res) => {
// Simple GET with Promise handling to https://myapp.com/api/v1/reports/clients
client.get("reports/clients")
.then(response => {
console.log("Report for client", response.userId) // REST responses are parsed as JSON objects
res.render('clients/dashboard', {title: 'Customer Report', report: response})
})
.catch(err => {
console.error("Ups!", err)
res.status(400).render('error', {error: err})
})
})
router.get('/orders', (req, res, next) => {
// GET with query (https://myapp.com/api/v1/orders?state=open&limit=10)
client.get({"uri": "orders", "query": {"state": "open", "limit": 10}})
.then(orders => {
res.render('clients/orders', {title: 'Customer Orders', orders: orders})
})
.catch(err => someErrorHandler(req, res, next))
})
router.delete('/orders', (req, res, next) => {
// DELETE with params (https://myapp.com/api/v1/orders/1234/A987)
client.delete({
"uri": "orders/{client}/{id}",
"params": {"client": "A987", "id": 1234}
})
.then(resp => res.status(204))
.catch(err => someErrorHandler(req, res, next))
})
reqclient supports many features, but it has some that are not supported by other
libraries: OAuth2 integration and logger integration
with cURL syntax, and always returns native Promise objects.
If you ever need to send GET request to an IP as well as a Domain (Other answers did not mention you can specify a port variable), you can make use of this function:
function getCode(host, port, path, queryString) {
console.log("(" + host + ":" + port + path + ")" + "Running httpHelper.getCode()")
// Construct url and query string
const requestUrl = url.parse(url.format({
protocol: 'http',
hostname: host,
pathname: path,
port: port,
query: queryString
}));
console.log("(" + host + path + ")" + "Sending GET request")
// Send request
console.log(url.format(requestUrl))
http.get(url.format(requestUrl), (resp) => {
let data = '';
// A chunk of data has been received.
resp.on('data', (chunk) => {
console.log("GET chunk: " + chunk);
data += chunk;
});
// The whole response has been received. Print out the result.
resp.on('end', () => {
console.log("GET end of response: " + data);
});
}).on("error", (err) => {
console.log("GET Error: " + err);
});
}
Don't miss requiring modules at the top of your file:
http = require("http");
url = require('url')
Also bare in mind that you may use https module for communicating over secured network. so these two lines would change:
https = require("https");
...
https.get(url.format(requestUrl), (resp) => { ......
## you can use request module and promise in express to make any request ##
const promise = require('promise');
const requestModule = require('request');
const curlRequest =(requestOption) =>{
return new Promise((resolve, reject)=> {
requestModule(requestOption, (error, response, body) => {
try {
if (error) {
throw error;
}
if (body) {
try {
body = (body) ? JSON.parse(body) : body;
resolve(body);
}catch(error){
resolve(body);
}
} else {
throw new Error('something wrong');
}
} catch (error) {
reject(error);
}
})
})
};
const option = {
url : uri,
method : "GET",
headers : {
}
};
curlRequest(option).then((data)=>{
}).catch((err)=>{
})