http-errors vs content-type
Node.js HTTP Utilities Comparison
1 Year
http-errorscontent-typeSimilar Packages:
What's Node.js HTTP Utilities?

In web development, particularly with Node.js, managing HTTP requests and responses is crucial. The 'content-type' package is used for parsing and formatting HTTP Content-Type headers, which helps in determining the media type of the resource being sent or received. On the other hand, 'http-errors' is a utility for creating HTTP error objects, which simplifies error handling in web applications by providing a consistent way to generate and manage HTTP errors with appropriate status codes and messages.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
http-errors66,646,7981,52918.8 kB123 years agoMIT
content-type39,757,02413610.5 kB32 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: http-errors vs content-type

Purpose

  • http-errors:

    The 'http-errors' package provides a simple way to create HTTP error objects with standardized status codes and messages. This utility helps developers manage errors effectively, ensuring that the application responds with appropriate HTTP status codes and error messages, which is crucial for debugging and user experience.

  • content-type:

    The 'content-type' package is designed to parse and format HTTP Content-Type headers, allowing developers to easily identify and manipulate the media type of the data being sent or received. This is essential for applications that need to handle multiple content types, ensuring that the correct type is processed and returned in HTTP responses.

Error Handling

  • http-errors:

    'http-errors' excels in error handling by allowing developers to create custom error responses easily. It provides a consistent way to generate errors with specific status codes, making it easier to manage and respond to errors throughout the application.

  • content-type:

    While 'content-type' does not directly handle errors, it ensures that the Content-Type headers are correctly formatted and parsed, which can prevent potential errors related to media type mismatches in HTTP requests and responses.

Use Cases

  • http-errors:

    Use 'http-errors' in applications that require robust error management. It's particularly useful in RESTful APIs where you need to return specific HTTP status codes for various error conditions, such as 404 for not found or 500 for server errors. This package simplifies the process of creating and managing these error responses.

  • content-type:

    Use 'content-type' in scenarios where your application needs to serve different types of content based on the request's Content-Type header. For example, when building an API that can return JSON or XML based on client requests, this package helps in determining the correct response format.

Complexity

  • http-errors:

    'http-errors' is also straightforward to use, but it introduces a layer of abstraction for error handling. While it simplifies the process of managing errors, developers need to understand how to effectively use the error objects it creates to ensure proper error responses.

  • content-type:

    The 'content-type' package is relatively simple and lightweight, focusing solely on parsing and formatting Content-Type headers. It is easy to integrate into existing applications without adding significant complexity.

Integration

  • http-errors:

    'http-errors' is designed to work well with Express and other Node.js frameworks, allowing for easy integration into existing error handling middleware. It enhances the error management capabilities of your application without requiring significant changes to your existing codebase.

  • content-type:

    'content-type' can be easily integrated into any Node.js application that deals with HTTP requests and responses. It works seamlessly with existing middleware and routing libraries, making it a versatile choice for handling Content-Type headers.

How to Choose: http-errors vs content-type
  • http-errors:

    Choose 'http-errors' if your application requires robust error handling. It is ideal for creating and managing HTTP error responses, allowing you to easily generate errors with appropriate status codes and messages, which is essential for maintaining a clear and consistent error handling strategy in your web application.

  • content-type:

    Choose 'content-type' when you need to handle and manipulate Content-Type headers in your HTTP requests and responses. It's particularly useful for applications that require precise control over the media types being processed, such as APIs that serve different formats like JSON, XML, or HTML.

README for http-errors

http-errors

NPM Version NPM Downloads Node.js Version Build Status Test Coverage

Create HTTP errors for Express, Koa, Connect, etc. with ease.

Install

This is a Node.js module available through the npm registry. Installation is done using the npm install command:

$ npm install http-errors

Example

var createError = require('http-errors')
var express = require('express')
var app = express()

app.use(function (req, res, next) {
  if (!req.user) return next(createError(401, 'Please login to view this page.'))
  next()
})

API

This is the current API, currently extracted from Koa and subject to change.

Error Properties

  • expose - can be used to signal if message should be sent to the client, defaulting to false when status >= 500
  • headers - can be an object of header names to values to be sent to the client, defaulting to undefined. When defined, the key names should all be lower-cased
  • message - the traditional error message, which should be kept short and all single line
  • status - the status code of the error, mirroring statusCode for general compatibility
  • statusCode - the status code of the error, defaulting to 500

createError([status], [message], [properties])

Create a new error object with the given message msg. The error object inherits from createError.HttpError.

var err = createError(404, 'This video does not exist!')
  • status: 500 - the status code as a number
  • message - the message of the error, defaulting to node's text for that status code.
  • properties - custom properties to attach to the object

createError([status], [error], [properties])

Extend the given error object with createError.HttpError properties. This will not alter the inheritance of the given error object, and the modified error object is the return value.

fs.readFile('foo.txt', function (err, buf) {
  if (err) {
    if (err.code === 'ENOENT') {
      var httpError = createError(404, err, { expose: false })
    } else {
      var httpError = createError(500, err)
    }
  }
})
  • status - the status code as a number
  • error - the error object to extend
  • properties - custom properties to attach to the object

createError.isHttpError(val)

Determine if the provided val is an HttpError. This will return true if the error inherits from the HttpError constructor of this module or matches the "duck type" for an error this module creates. All outputs from the createError factory will return true for this function, including if an non-HttpError was passed into the factory.

new createError[code || name]([msg]))

Create a new error object with the given message msg. The error object inherits from createError.HttpError.

var err = new createError.NotFound()
  • code - the status code as a number
  • name - the name of the error as a "bumpy case", i.e. NotFound or InternalServerError.

List of all constructors

|Status Code|Constructor Name | |-----------|-----------------------------| |400 |BadRequest | |401 |Unauthorized | |402 |PaymentRequired | |403 |Forbidden | |404 |NotFound | |405 |MethodNotAllowed | |406 |NotAcceptable | |407 |ProxyAuthenticationRequired | |408 |RequestTimeout | |409 |Conflict | |410 |Gone | |411 |LengthRequired | |412 |PreconditionFailed | |413 |PayloadTooLarge | |414 |URITooLong | |415 |UnsupportedMediaType | |416 |RangeNotSatisfiable | |417 |ExpectationFailed | |418 |ImATeapot | |421 |MisdirectedRequest | |422 |UnprocessableEntity | |423 |Locked | |424 |FailedDependency | |425 |TooEarly | |426 |UpgradeRequired | |428 |PreconditionRequired | |429 |TooManyRequests | |431 |RequestHeaderFieldsTooLarge | |451 |UnavailableForLegalReasons | |500 |InternalServerError | |501 |NotImplemented | |502 |BadGateway | |503 |ServiceUnavailable | |504 |GatewayTimeout | |505 |HTTPVersionNotSupported | |506 |VariantAlsoNegotiates | |507 |InsufficientStorage | |508 |LoopDetected | |509 |BandwidthLimitExceeded | |510 |NotExtended | |511 |NetworkAuthenticationRequired|

License

MIT