node-mocks-http

What is node-mocks-http?

The node-mocks-http package is a tool for creating mock HTTP objects for testing purposes in Node.js applications. It allows developers to simulate HTTP requests and responses, making it easier to test Express.js middleware and route handlers without needing a real HTTP server.

What are node-mocks-http's main functionalities?

Mocking HTTP Requests

This feature allows you to create a mock HTTP request object. You can specify the method, URL, and parameters to simulate different types of requests.

const httpMocks = require('node-mocks-http');

const request = httpMocks.createRequest({
  method: 'GET',
  url: '/user/42',
  params: {
    id: '42'
  }
});

console.log(request.method); // 'GET'
console.log(request.url); // '/user/42'
console.log(request.params.id); // '42'

Mocking HTTP Responses

This feature allows you to create a mock HTTP response object. You can set the status code and send data, and then inspect the response to verify its properties.

const httpMocks = require('node-mocks-http');

const response = httpMocks.createResponse();

response.status(200).send('OK');

console.log(response._getStatusCode()); // 200
console.log(response._getData()); // 'OK'

Mocking HTTP Headers

This feature allows you to create a mock HTTP request with specific headers. You can then inspect the headers to ensure they are set correctly.

const httpMocks = require('node-mocks-http');

const request = httpMocks.createRequest({
  headers: {
    'content-type': 'application/json'
  }
});

console.log(request.headers['content-type']); // 'application/json'

Mocking HTTP Cookies

This feature allows you to create a mock HTTP request with cookies. You can then inspect the cookies to ensure they are set correctly.

const httpMocks = require('node-mocks-http');

const request = httpMocks.createRequest({
  cookies: {
    token: '12345'
  }
});

console.log(request.cookies.token); // '12345'

Other packages similar to node-mocks-http

supertest

Supertest is a popular library for testing HTTP endpoints. It provides a high-level abstraction for testing HTTP, making it easy to send requests and assert responses. Unlike node-mocks-http, Supertest actually sends HTTP requests to a server, which can be useful for end-to-end testing.

nock

Nock is a library for HTTP mocking and expectations. It allows you to intercept HTTP requests and provide predefined responses. Nock is more focused on mocking external HTTP requests, whereas node-mocks-http is more focused on creating mock request and response objects for internal testing.

sinon

Sinon is a versatile library for creating spies, stubs, and mocks. While it is not specifically designed for HTTP mocking, it can be used in conjunction with other libraries to mock HTTP requests and responses. Sinon provides more general-purpose mocking capabilities compared to node-mocks-http.

README

node-mocks-http

Mock 'http' objects for testing Express routing functions, but could be used for testing any Node.js web server applications that have code that requires mockups of the request and response objects.

Installation

This project is available as a NPM package.

$ npm install node-mocks-http

After installing the package include the following in your test files:

var httpMocks = require('node-mocks-http');

Usage

Suppose you have the following Express route:

app.get('/user/:id', routeHandler);

And you have created a function to handle that route's call:

var routeHandler = function( request, response ) { ... };

You can easily test the routeHandler function with some code like this using the testing framework of your choice:

exports['routeHandler - Simple testing'] = function(test) {

    var request  = httpMocks.createRequest({
        method: 'GET',
        url: '/user/42',
        params: {
          id: 42
        }
    });

    var response = httpMocks.createResponse();

    routeHandler(request, response);

    var data = JSON.parse( response._getData() );
    test.equal("Bob Dog", data.name);
    test.equal(42, data.age);
    test.equal("[e-mail]", data.email);

    test.equal(200, response.statusCode );
    test.ok( response._isEndCalled());
    test.ok( response._isJSON());
    test.ok( response._isUTF8());

    test.done();

};

Design Decisions

We wanted some simple mocks without a large framework.

We also wanted the mocks to act like the original framework being mocked, but allow for setting of values before calling and inspecting of values after calling.

For Developers

We are looking for more volunteers to bring value to this project, including the creation of more objects from the HTTP module.

This project doesn't address all features that must be mocked, but it is a good start. Feel free to send pull requests, and a member of the team will be timely in merging them.

After making any changes, please verify your works.

Running Tests

Install jshint globally.

npm install -g jshint

Navigate to the project folder and run npm install to install the project's dependencies.

Then simply run the tests.

./run-tests

Release Notes

Most releases fix bugs with our mocks or add features similar to the actual Request and Response objects offered by Node.js and extended by Express.

License

Licensed under MIT.