Registry / http-networking / http-headers

http-headers

library3.0.2jsnpmunverified

The `http-headers` package provides a utility to parse HTTP request and response start-lines and headers into a structured JavaScript object. It can process raw string or Buffer data containing complete HTTP messages, or directly extract and parse headers from Node.js `http.ServerResponse` objects. Key features include automatic body detection and ignored parsing, RFC 2068 compliance, and support for multi-line and repeating headers. The current stable version is 3.0.2. This package appears to be unmaintained; its last update was several years ago, meaning it does not receive active development, bug fixes, or compatibility updates for newer Node.js versions or HTTP standards (e.g., HTTP/2, HTTP/3). Its primary differentiator was simplifying the extraction of response headers from Node's internal `_header` property, which was not easily accessible otherwise.

http-networking serialization

npm install http-headers

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · HTTP-HEADERS

http-headers

http-networkingjavascriptv3.0.2

Install

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Import

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Disk

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Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

httpHeaders

✓ const httpHeaders = require('http-headers')

✗ import httpHeaders from 'http-headers'

This package is a CommonJS module and does not natively support ES module `import` syntax. Attempting to import it directly in an ESM context will likely result in an error or require special bundler configuration.

httpHeaders (with onlyHeaders option)

✓ const parse = require('http-headers'); const headersOnly = parse(data, true);

The module exports a single function. The optional second argument, `true`, instructs the parser to return only the headers object, discarding the start-line details (method, URL, status code, etc.).

This example demonstrates how to use `http-headers` to parse and access the response headers directly from an `http.ServerResponse` object in a Node.js server, a key use case for this library.

const http = require('http'); const httpHeaders = require('http-headers'); const server = http.createServer((req, res) => { res.statusCode = 200; res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain'); res.setHeader('X-Request-ID', '12345'); res.end('Hello World'); // Log the parsed response headers as they were sent to the client // This uses http-headers to access the internal _header property of res console.log('Parsed ServerResponse headers:', httpHeaders(res)); }).listen(8080, () => { console.log('Server listening on http://localhost:8080'); }); // To test, run the server and access http://localhost:8080 in your browser or with curl. // The server's console will output the parsed response headers.

Debug

Known issues

breakingThe package is unmaintained since 2017. It has not received updates for over 7 years and may contain unpatched security vulnerabilities, especially when parsing arbitrary network input. Relying on it in production for security-sensitive applications is risky.

fix

Consider migrating to an actively maintained HTTP parsing library or implement robust custom parsing for critical headers. Evaluate the security implications carefully if continued use is unavoidable.

affects: >=3.0.0

gotchaThis module is exclusively CommonJS (`require`). It does not provide an ES module build and cannot be directly imported using `import` statements in modern Node.js or browser environments without a CommonJS wrapper or bundler configuration.

fix

Ensure your project is configured to use CommonJS for this dependency, or wrap it in a custom ES module if necessary. For ESM-only projects, evaluate modern alternatives.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaThe package relies on accessing the private `_header` property of `http.ServerResponse` to extract headers. While functional at the time of its development, relying on private API properties can lead to breakage in future Node.js versions if the internal implementation changes.

fix

Monitor for compatibility issues with new Node.js releases. If breakage occurs, manual header construction or a different approach for accessing response headers might be necessary.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

SyntaxError: Named export 'default' not found (module 'http-headers')

Attempting to use ES module `import` syntax for a CommonJS-only module.

fix

Use CommonJS `require` syntax instead: `const httpHeaders = require('http-headers');`

TypeError: httpHeaders is not a function

Incorrectly destructuring or calling `require('http-headers')` as a property rather than the function it directly exports.

fix

Ensure you are assigning the result of `require('http-headers')` directly to a variable and then calling it: `const parser = require('http-headers'); parser(data);`

TypeError: data must be a string, Buffer, or http.ServerResponse instance

Passing an unsupported data type (e.g., a plain object, array, or null) to the `httpHeaders` function.

fix

Verify that the `data` argument is either a string, a Buffer containing HTTP message data, or an instance of Node.js `http.ServerResponse`.

Upgrade

Version history

3.0.2latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

6 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/watson/http-headers ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/http-headers ↗