bent

What is bent?

The 'bent' npm package is a minimalistic and efficient HTTP client for Node.js. It is designed to be simple and easy to use, providing a straightforward API for making HTTP requests. It supports promises and async/await syntax, making it a modern choice for handling HTTP requests in Node.js applications.

What are bent's main functionalities?

Making GET Requests

This feature allows you to make GET requests and automatically parse the response as JSON. The 'bent' function is configured with 'json' to handle JSON responses.

const bent = require('bent');
const getJSON = bent('json');
(async () => {
  const response = await getJSON('https://api.example.com/data');
  console.log(response);
})();

Making POST Requests

This feature allows you to make POST requests with a JSON payload. The 'bent' function is configured with 'POST' and 'json' to handle JSON responses and ensure a 200 status code.

const bent = require('bent');
const post = bent('POST', 'json', 200);
(async () => {
  const response = await post('https://api.example.com/data', { key: 'value' });
  console.log(response);
})();

Handling Different Response Types

This feature allows you to handle different response types, such as buffers for binary data. The 'bent' function is configured with 'buffer' to handle binary responses.

const bent = require('bent');
const getBuffer = bent('buffer');
(async () => {
  const response = await getBuffer('https://example.com/image.png');
  console.log(response);
})();

Custom Headers

This feature allows you to set custom headers for your HTTP requests. The 'bent' function is configured with 'GET', 'json', and a headers object to include an authorization token.

const bent = require('bent');
const getWithHeaders = bent('GET', 'json', { 'Authorization': 'Bearer token' });
(async () => {
  const response = await getWithHeaders('https://api.example.com/data');
  console.log(response);
})();

Other packages similar to bent

axios

Axios is a popular promise-based HTTP client for Node.js and the browser. It provides a rich set of features, including interceptors, request and response transformation, and automatic JSON parsing. Compared to 'bent', Axios offers more advanced features and a larger community.

node-fetch

Node-fetch is a lightweight module that brings the Fetch API to Node.js. It is similar to 'bent' in its simplicity and ease of use, but it follows the Fetch API standard, making it familiar to developers who have used the Fetch API in the browser.

got

Got is a powerful and flexible HTTP request library for Node.js. It supports promises, streams, retries, and advanced configuration options. Compared to 'bent', Got offers more features and customization options, making it suitable for more complex use cases.

README

bent

Functional HTTP client for Node.js and Browsers with async/await.

Incredibly small browser version built on fetch with no external dependencies or polyfills.

Usage

const bent = require('bent')

const getJSON = bent('json')
const getBuffer = bent('buffer')

let obj = await getJSON('http://site.com/json.api')
let buffer = await getBuffer('http://site.com/image.png')

As you can see, bent is a function that returns an async function.

Bent takes options which constrain what is accepted by the client. Any response that falls outside the constraints will generate an error.

You can provide these options in any order, and Bent will figure out which option is which by inspecting the option's type and content.

const post = bent('http://localhost:3000/', 'POST', 'json', 200);
const response = await post('cars/new', {name: 'bmw', wheels: 4});

If you don't set a response encoding ('json', 'string' or 'buffer') then the native response object will be returned after the statusCode check.

In Node.js, we also add decoding methods that match the Fetch API (.json(), .text() and .arrayBuffer()).

const bent = require('bent')

const getStream = bent('http://site.com')

let stream = await getStream('/json.api')
// status code
stream.status // 200
stream.statusCode // 200
// optionally decode
const obj = await stream.json()
// or
const str = await stream.text()

The following options are available.

• HTTP Method: 'GET', 'PUT', or any other ALLCAPS string will be used to set the HTTP method. Defaults to 'GET'.
• Response Format: Available formats are 'string', 'buffer', and 'json'. By default, the response object/stream will be returned instead of a decoded response. Browser returns ArrayBuffer instead of Buffer.
• Status Codes: Any number will be considered an acceptable status code. By default, 200 is the only acceptable status code. When any status codes are provided, 200 must be included explicitly in order to be acceptable.
• Headers: An object can be passed to set request headers.
• Base URL: Any string that begins with 'https:' or 'http:' is considered the Base URL. Subsequent queries need only pass the remaining URL string.

The returned async function is used for subsequent requests.

When working with Binary this library uses different types in the browser and Node.js. In Node.js all binary must be done using the Buffer type. In the browser you can use ArrayBuffer or any ArrayBuffer view type (UInt8Array, etc).

async request(url[, body=null, headers={}])

• url: Fully qualified URL to the remote resource, or in the case that a base URL is passed the remaining URL string.
• body: Request body. Can be a string, a stream (node.js), a buffer (node.js) (see note below), an ArrayBuffer (browser), or a JSON object.
• headers: An object of any headers you need to set for just this request.

const bent = require('bent')

const put = bent('PUT', 201)
await put('http://site.com/upload', Buffer.from('test'))

Or

const bent = require('bent')

const put = bent('PUT', 201, 'http://site.com')
await put('/upload', Buffer.from('test'))

NOTE: If the body is passed as an object, it will be treated as JSON, stringified and the Content-Type will be set to application/json unless already set. A common requirement is to POST using form-urlencoded. This will require you to set the Content-Type header to application/x-www-form-urlencoded and to encode the body yourself, perhaps using form-urlencoded.