http-browserify

What is http-browserify?

The http-browserify package is a browser-compatible implementation of the Node.js 'http' module. It allows developers to use the same HTTP client code in both Node.js and browser environments, facilitating code reuse and simplifying the development process for applications that need to make HTTP requests.

What are http-browserify's main functionalities?

Making HTTP GET Requests

This feature allows you to make HTTP GET requests from the browser, similar to how you would in a Node.js environment. The code sample demonstrates how to perform a GET request to 'http://example.com' and handle the response.

const http = require('http-browserify');

http.get('http://example.com', (response) => {
  let data = '';

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

  response.on('end', () => {
    console.log(data);
  });
}).on('error', (err) => {
  console.error('Error: ' + err.message);
});

Making HTTP POST Requests

This feature allows you to make HTTP POST requests from the browser. The code sample demonstrates how to send a POST request with JSON data to 'http://example.com/upload' and handle the response.

const http = require('http-browserify');

const postData = JSON.stringify({
  'msg': 'Hello World'
});

const options = {
  hostname: 'example.com',
  port: 80,
  path: '/upload',
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Content-Length': Buffer.byteLength(postData)
  }
};

const req = http.request(options, (res) => {
  let data = '';

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

  res.on('end', () => {
    console.log(data);
  });
});

req.on('error', (e) => {
  console.error(`Problem with request: ${e.message}`);
});

req.write(postData);
req.end();

Other packages similar to http-browserify

axios

Axios is a popular promise-based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. It provides a simple and easy-to-use API for making HTTP requests and supports features like interceptors, automatic JSON transformation, and request cancellation. Compared to http-browserify, Axios offers a more modern and feature-rich API.

fetch

Fetch is a built-in web API for making HTTP requests in the browser. It provides a modern and flexible interface for fetching resources and handling responses. Unlike http-browserify, Fetch is natively supported in modern browsers and does not require any additional libraries.

superagent

Superagent is a small, progressive HTTP request library for Node.js and the browser. It provides a simple and intuitive API for making HTTP requests and supports features like file uploads, redirects, and query string parsing. Superagent is similar to http-browserify but offers additional features and a more user-friendly API.

README

http-browserify

The http module from node.js, but for browsers.

When you require('http') in browserify, this module will be loaded.

example

var http = require('http');

http.get({ path : '/beep' }, function (res) {
    var div = document.getElementById('result');
    div.innerHTML += 'GET /beep<br>';
    
    res.on('data', function (buf) {
        div.innerHTML += buf;
    });
    
    res.on('end', function () {
        div.innerHTML += '<br>__END__';
    });
});

http methods

var http = require('http');

var req = http.request(options, cb)

options can have:

• method
• path
• headers={}, as an object mapping key names to string or Array values
• host=window.location.host
• port=window.location.port

The callback will be called with the response object.

var req = http.get(options, cb)

A shortcut for

options.method = 'GET';
var req = http.request(options, cb);
req.end();

request methods

req.setHeader(key, value)

Set an http header.

req.getHeader(key)

Get an http header.

req.removeHeader(key)

Remove an http header.

req.write(data)

Write some data to the request body.

req.end(data)

Close and send the request body, optionally with additional data to append.

response methods

res.getHeader(key)

Return an http header, if set. key is case-insensitive.

response attributes

• res.statusCode, the numeric http response code
• res.headers, an object with all lowercase keys

response events

• data
• end
• error

compatibility

This module has been tested and works with:

• Internet Explorer 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9
• Firefox 3.5
• Chrome 7.0
• Opera 10.6
• Safari 5.0

Multipart streaming responses are buffered in all versions of Internet Explorer and are somewhat buffered in Opera. In all the other browsers you get a nice unbuffered stream of "data" events when you send down a content-type of multipart/octet-stream or similar.

protip

You can do:

var bundle = browserify({
    require : { http : 'http-browserify' }
});

in order to map "http-browserify" over require('http') in your browserified source.