Registry / http-networking / node-rest-client

node-rest-client

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library3.1.1jsnpmunverified

node-rest-client is a versatile Node.js library for interacting with RESTful APIs, designed to simplify HTTP/HTTPS requests. It offers features such as transparent handling of HTTP/HTTPS connections, basic authentication, and support for common HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH), with the ability to define custom methods. A key differentiator is its capability to register remote API operations as reusable client methods, streamlining code and promoting reuse. The library also manages dynamic path and query parameters, request headers, provides improved error handling, supports compressed responses (gzip, deflate), follows redirects (via `follow-redirects`), and allows for custom request serializers and response parsers (with JSON and XML included by default). The current stable version is 3.1.1. Release cadence is not strictly scheduled, but the project shows active development with recent major and minor updates.

http-networking
npm install node-rest-client
github ↗package ↗
INSTALL
IMPORT
SIG · NODE-REST-CLIENT
N
node-rest-client
http-networkingjavascriptv3.1.1
Install
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Import
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Disk
—
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.

Client
✓ const Client = require('node-rest-client').Client;
✗ import { Client } from 'node-rest-client';
The library primarily uses CommonJS `require` syntax as demonstrated in its documentation. Direct ESM `import` statements may require specific Node.js configuration or dynamic imports for interoperability.
Client (full module)
✓ const nodeRestClient = require('node-rest-client'); const Client = nodeRestClient.Client;
✗ import nodeRestClient from 'node-rest-client';
The `Client` class is a named export from the CommonJS module. Access it via the `.Client` property of the `require`'d module object.
Custom Method Registration
✓ client.registerMethod('myMethod', 'http://example.com/api', 'GET'); client.methods.myMethod(function(data, response){ /* ... */ });
✗ client.myMethod(function(data, response){ /* ... */ });
Registered methods are accessed through the `client.methods` object, not directly on the client instance.

This quickstart demonstrates how to install `node-rest-client` and perform both a simple HTTP GET request and an HTTP POST request with JSON data and headers to a public API.

const Client = require('node-rest-client').Client; const client = new Client(); // Example: Simple HTTP GET request client.get("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1", function (data, response) { // parsed response body as js object console.log('GET Response Data:', data); // raw response console.log('GET Response Status:', response.statusCode); }); // Example: HTTP POST request with JSON data and headers const args = { data: { title: 'foo', body: 'bar', userId: 1 }, headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } }; client.post("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts", args, function (data, response) { console.log('POST Response Data:', data); console.log('POST Response Status:', response.statusCode); });
Debug
Known issues
breakingWith the introduction of v3.0.0, the library prefixed all internal methods with a `$` to prevent potential name clashes with custom registered methods. If you were directly accessing or overriding internal methods in versions prior to v3, your code will break.
fix
Review your code for any direct calls to non-public `node-rest-client` methods. If such calls exist, either refactor to use documented public APIs or adjust to the new `$` prefixed names, noting this is an internal implementation detail and subject to change.
affects: >=3.0.0
gotchaWhen performing POST, PUT, or PATCH requests, the 'Content-Type' header must be explicitly set in the `args.headers` parameter. Failing to do so will result in the request body not being properly sent or parsed by the remote API.
fix
Always include `headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }` (or appropriate type) in the `args` object for methods sending a request body (POST, PUT, PATCH).
affects: >=1.0.0
gotchaFor responses other than default JSON or XML, or if a different encoding is used, you may need to configure custom response parsers or specify `mimetypes` in the `Client` options. Otherwise, the `data` callback parameter might contain unparsed raw data or incorrect types.
fix
If your API returns non-standard content types or requires specific parsing, add custom parsers to the client configuration. For example, `new Client({ mimetypes: { json: ['application/json', 'application/json;charset=utf-8'] } })` to explicitly define how content types are handled.
affects: >=1.0.0
Errors
Common errors & fixes
TypeError: client.post is not a function
Attempting to call `post`, `put`, or `patch` methods without providing the necessary `args` object.
fix
Ensure the second argument to `client.post`, `client.put`, or `client.patch` is always an `args` object, even if empty, before the callback function.
Error: Response data is not parsed correctly. Expected JSON but received raw string/buffer.
The default response parsers (JSON, XML) do not match the `Content-Type` header of the API response, or the response contains malformed data.
fix
Verify the `Content-Type` header sent by the API. If it's a custom type or not correctly handled, configure custom response parsers using `client.registerParser()` or `new Client({ mimetypes: { /* ... */ } })`.
ReferenceError: require is not defined in ES module scope
Attempting to use `require('node-rest-client')` in a Node.js environment configured for ECMAScript Modules (ESM) (e.g., `"type": "module"` in `package.json`).
fix
For ESM projects, use dynamic `import('node-rest-client')` and then access the `Client` class, e.g., `const { Client } = await import('node-rest-client');`. Alternatively, ensure your file is treated as CommonJS (e.g., `.cjs` extension or no `"type": "module"` in `package.json`).
Upgrade
Version history
3.1.1latest on npm
Audit
Dependencies
follow-redirectsrequiredUsed internally to provide automatic HTTP/HTTPS redirect following.
Agent activity
5 hits · last 30 days
node
4
Amazon
1
Resources
githubhttps://github.com/aacerox/node-rest-client ↗
packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/node-rest-client ↗
node-rest-client — npm install node-rest-client · libregistry