connect-recase

connect-recase

Convert your API back and forth between snake_case and camelCase.

{ "popularCatchphrase": "it's morphin' time!" } => { "popular_catchphrase": "it's morphin' time!" }

If your API is designed to be consumed by Ruby, Python, Go, or other modern web frameworks, it will be easier for consumers if you serve them snake_case_properties, y'know.

It's no secret that machines can parse snake_case easier than camelCase. And guess what: so can humans! It's easier to read. It's easier to regex. It's empirically better.

But we live in the JavaScript world and the convention is so strongly camelCase that there's no use in fighting it.

Normal Use

npm install --save connect-recase

var recase = require('connect-recase')
app.use('/api', recase());

Example

// some resource
app.use('/api/some-resource', function (req, res) {
  console.log(req.body);
  res.send({ popularCatchphrase: "it's morphin' time!" });
});

If you test getting the resource, it will come in snake_case:

curl https://local.daplie.com/api/some-resource

{ "popular_catchphrase": "it's morphin' time!" }

If you test posting some data, it will come in snake_case:

curl https://local.daplie.com/api/some-resource \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "user_data": { "display_name": "Johnny Lingo", "profile_url": "https://aj.daplie.com" } }'
  
# you'll see this in your console.log
{ "userData": { "displayName": "Johnny Lingo", "profileUrl": "https://aj.daplie.com" } }

Getting Fancy

var recase = require('connect-recase');
app.use(recase({
  prefixes: ['/api']
, cancelParam: 'camel'
, exceptions: { Poorly_NamedProp: 'better_named_property' }
}));

API

• prefixes
• cancelParam
• exceptions

prefixes

only recase on endpoints that begin with these prefixes

Remember to put external APIs hooks such as for stripe, mailgun, twilio, facebook, etc on a different route or include the cancelParam in your hook (unless you're not using a 3rd party lib to handle the hook).

defaults to []

cancelParam

The query parameter than causes recase to be skipped

https://example.com/api/some-resource?camel=true

Useful if a developer wants to use camelCase and for incoming API hooks

defaults to camel

exceptions

gets passed to recase as properties that should explicitly mapped

recase defaults this to { XMLHttpRequest: 'xml_http_request' }

TODO

• exceptions to prefixes
• separate incoming and outgoing