Currently, I am developing a simple project, which uses strong-soap module and expressjs. To create a soap server, I have to use http module of NodeJs, using express for soap module causes errors (wsdl file content can't be seen in browser). And i declare my routes and its functions by help of ExpressJS. My simple codebase is similar to the given below.
index.js
const app = require('express')();
const http = require('http');
var MyServiceObject = { /* ...some methods which exist in wsdl file */ };
var xml = require('fs').readFileSync('myWsdlFile.wsdl');
let server = http.createServer(function(request,response) {
response.end("404: Not Found: " + request.url);
});
server.listen(8000);
soap.listen(server, '/wsdl', MyServiceObject, xml);
/*########################### SOME ROUTES ############################################*/
app.listen(8002, (req, res) => {
console.log('App is listening on port 8002');
});
I am concerning about security, so i have a long question:
I'm not able to apply some authorization processes on HTTP Object in my code. How i can apply authorization on http? Is leaving http object as seen in code block, causes some security problems? Must i apply some authorization processes on http object? And i am using strong-soap server in this project. Must i apply some authorization processes on strong-soap object also. I can apply authorization processes on Express.js. Is applying authorization processes on express object (app) is sufficient for security?
Thanks in advance.
You can go with the soap package (https://www.npmjs.com/package/soap), you will get more flexibility to work with. Also, you can install the soap client (https://www.soapui.org/downloads/soapui/) to test services before implementing them with Node.js. It will help you to understand the request and response of each service.
Related
Can someone help me in understanding what does http and https module do in Express?
I was going through the following docs on w3schools
From definition it says
Node.js has a built-in module called HTTP, which allows Node.js to
transfer data over the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
With following example
var http = require('http');
//create a server object:
http.createServer(function (req, res) {
res.write('Hello World!'); //write a response to the client
res.end(); //end the response
}).listen(8080); //the server object listens on port 8080
This is the example to live demo
First, I am unable to comprehend their example like Where are they making (route) request so that they are receiving response?
Second by the definition, to make a request, using libraries like axios can be alternative?
third, when we make an api request, isn't the data transferred over http/https?
app.post("/", (req, res) => {
In short, Can someone please explain me in more human words the use of http package in express?
Update: I might be confusing this with express, I am used to using express and here we aren't using express
1- They aren't defining any route. That piece of code only creates a server running on port 8080 that when it's created or accessed on the home route (/) returns "Hello World". If you want to define routes you should take a closer look to a module called express that it's used by most of node users due to its simplicity and documentation (https://expressjs.com/en/starter/hello-world.html) In that link you have an example for creating the server and a basic route
2- Yes it can and should be because they are way better than the default from nodeJs. Take a look at axios or superagent, superagent it's better if you want to use formdata to send images or attachments.
3- By default, all servers created using http or express are http servers (don't have a certificate to encrypt the data so they aren't secure). If you want a https server, you can buy certificates or use https://letsencrypt.org/ this module that generates free SSL certificates with 1 month validation.
http module has multiple functions, it can be used to create a server, to make http requests and so on. It's up to you to decide which submodule from the package you want to use. Express is built over the http module making everything easier.
If you need more explanation, tell me and I will try to explain a little better.
I'm debugging calls made from my express app to another micro-service on my network. I'm receiving 401 errors and I need to get full raw http logs to give to my security team for analysis.
I'm looking for some advice on tracking HTTP calls from a micro-service I have deployed on Pivotal Cloud Foundry. I've been doing some research and ran across tools like Zipkin and OpenTracing etc.. but those appear to be more about debugging latency and probably do not show HTTP logs. I've also tried using Morgan/Winston modules but they do not track internal calls. Morgan is currently what I'm using to log out the basic HTTP codes but it doesn't pick up on my calls from inside my app either, just the ones made to the app itself from the browser. I need to get the full raw HTTP request to assist the security team. I'm using the default logging output with morgan (STDOUT). I've console logged the headers to see the headers but would like to get them out in a slightly more readable format.
To log internal HTTP request sent from a Node.js server, you can create a Proxy Node.js server and log all requests there using Morgan.
First, define 3 constants (or read from your project config file):
// The real API endpoint, such as "another micro-service" in your network
const API = http://<real_server>
// Proxy Node.js server running on localhost
const LOGGER_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:3010
// Flag, decide whether logger is enabled.
const ENABLE_LOGGER=true
Second, When your Node.js server is launched, start the logger server at the same time if ENABLE_LOGGER is true. The logger server only do one thing: log the request and forward it to the real API server using request module. You can use Morgan to provide more readable format.
const request = require('request');
const morgan = require('morgan')(':method :url :status Cookie: :req[Cookie] :res[content-length] - :response-time ms');
...
if (ENABLE_LOGGER && LOGGER_ENDPOINT) {
let loggerPort = 3010;
const logger = http.createServer((req, res) => {
morgan(req, res, () => {
req.pipe(request(API + req.url)).pipe(res);
});
});
logger.listen(loggerPort);
}
Third, in your Node.js server, send API request to logger server when ENABLE_LOGGER is true, and send API directly to the real server when ENABLE_LOGGER is false.
let app = express(); // assume Express is used, but this strategy can be easily applied to other Node.js web framework.
...
let API_Endpoint = ENABLE_LOGGER ? LOGGER_ENDPOINT : API;
app.set('API', API_Endpoint);
...
// When HTTP request is sent internally
request(app.get('API') + '/some-url')...
Hello guys i'm new to node js and started researching and working on some tutorials. I just want a better understanding or clarification on a doubt i had. So i came across the in built module http. This helps in creating a a basic web server. Now express module is a web framework that is built on top the http module that makes it easy using a fully wedged web server without reinventing the wheel. Now I came across this code:
var express = require( 'express' )
, http = require("http")
http.createServer( options, function(req,res)
{
app.handle( req, res );
} ).listen(8080);
But in express one could simply just do this
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
app.listen(8080, function() {
console.log('Listening on ' + 8080);});
What's the difference between both? Don't they both accomplish the same thing. If not what's the difference and advantage of using the first approach. Should one adhere to the first approach as it's a good programming practice. That's my doubt as i just want a clear understanding if there's any difference.
Why combine http module with express module
There's really no reason to create your own http server using the http module. Express will just do that for you with app.listen() just fine and save you little bit of typing.
If you were creating an https server, then you would need to use the https module and pass security credentials to https.createServer(...) in order to create a properly configured server. Express does not have the ability to create a properly configured https server for you automatically.
If you look at the Express code in GitHub for app.listen(), it shows this:
app.listen = function listen() {
var server = http.createServer(this);
return server.listen.apply(server, arguments);
};
So, there's really no difference (other than a little less typing) when you use app.listen() or create your own http server and then use app as the listener to that server.
So, these two code snippets are identical in function:
var app = require('express')();
app.listen(8080);
app.get('/', function(req, res) {
res.send("hello");
});
The above code is functionally identical to:
var http = require('http');
var app = require('express')();
http.createServer(app).listen(8080);
app.get('/', function(req, res) {
res.send("hello");
});
Of course, if you're trying to set up https servers or add custom options to the .createServer() method, then you will set up your own server first and then pass app to it as the listener. app.listen(...) is just a shortcut when the default http.createServer() works fine.
I did a Node.js meetup presentation and was unable to answer this question. It is still bothering me.
Suppose I have a legacy http application or an Express.js application. It is a function, of the form
function legacy_app(request, response) {
// Handle the request.
}
Suppose I adopt Hapi.js for new versions of my application. But I have lots of debugged legacy or upstream code which I wish to integrate into the Hapi application. For example, a legacy vhost will run the legacy version, or it is accessible inside a /legacy namespace in the URL.
What is the best way to do this?
Wrapping existing HTTP node server dispatch function for use as a hapi handler is probably ok but you must add to your hapi_wrap function (at the end):
reply.close(false);
so that hapi can finish handling the request without messing with you legacy logic (https://github.com/spumko/hapi/blob/master/docs/Reference.md#replycloseoptions).
Wrapping Express handler/middleware is much more complicated because you are probably relying on some other middleware (e.g. body parser, cookie parse, session, etc.) and using some of the Express decorator that are not part of node (e.g. res.send(), res.json(), etc.).
The only way I can think to do this is manually. Just directly break the advice in the documentation: pull out the raw request and response objects and pass them to the legacy handler.
// An application built with http core.
var http = require('http')
var legacy_server = http.createServer(legacy_handler)
function legacy_handler(request, response) {
response.end('I am a standard handler\n')
}
// An express application.
var express = require('express')
var express_app = express()
express_app.get('*', function(request, response) {
response.send('I am an Express app\n')
})
// A Hapi application.
var Hapi = require('hapi')
var server = new Hapi.Server(8080, "0.0.0.0")
server.route({path:'/', method:'*', handler:hapi_handler})
function hapi_handler(request, reply) {
reply('I am a Hapi handler\n')
}
// Okay, great. Now suppose I want to hook the legacy application into the
// newer Hapi application, for example under a vhost or a /deprecated namespace.
server.route({path:'/legacy', method:'*', handler:hapi_wrap(legacy_handler)})
server.route({path:'/express', method:'*', handler:hapi_wrap(express_app)})
// Convert a legacy http handler into a Hapi handler.
function hapi_wrap(handler) {
return hapi_handler
function hapi_handler(request, reply) {
var req = request.raw.req
var res = request.raw.res
reply.close(false)
handler(req, res)
}
}
legacy_server.listen(8081)
express_app.listen(8082)
server.start()
This seems to work, although I would love if somebody who knew Hapi well could confirm that it is bug-free.
$ # Hit the Hapi application
$ curl localhost:8080/
I am a Hapi handler
$ # Hit the http application
$ curl localhost:8081/
I am a standard handler
$ # Hit the Express application
$ curl localhost:8082/
I am an Express app
$ # Hit the http application hosted by Hapi
$ curl localhost:8080/legacy
I am a standard handler
$ # Hit the Express application hosted by Hapi
$ curl localhost:8080/express
I am an Express app
I have recently have gotten into AngularJS and I love it. For an upcoming project I am looking to use the MEAN stack (MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node). I'm pretty familiar with Angular and I have a modest understanding of the purposes of MongoDB and Node in the stack. However, I don't really understand what the purpose of Express.js is. Is it essential to the MEAN stack? What would you compare it to in a traditional MySQL, PHP, javascript app? What does it do that the other three components can't do?
Also, if someone wants to give their own take on how the four parts of the stack work together, that'd be great.
MongoDB = database
Express.js = back-end web framework
Angular = front-end framework
Node = back-end platform / web framework
Basically, what Express does is that it enables you to easily create web applications by providing a slightly simpler interface for creating your request endpoints, handling cookies, etc. than vanilla Node. You could drop it out of the equation, but then you'd have to do a lot more work in whipping up your web-application. Node itself could do everything express is doing (express is implemented with node), but express just wraps it up in a nicer package.
I would compare Express to some PHP web framework in the stack you describe, something like slim.
You can think of Express as a utility belt for creating web applications with Node.js. It provides functions for pretty much everything you need to do to build a web server. If you were to write the same functionality with vanilla Node.js, you would have to write significantly more code. Here are a couple examples of what Express does:
REST routes are made simple with things like
app.get('/user/:id', function(req, res){ /* req.params('id') is avail */ });
A middleware system that allows you plug in different synchronous functions that do different things with a request or response, ie. authentication or adding properties
app.use(function(req,res,next){ req.timestamp = new Date(); next(); });
Functions for parsing the body of POST requests
Cross site scripting prevention tools
Automatic HTTP header handling
app.get('/', function(req,res){ res.json({object: 'something'}); });
Generally speaking, Sinatra is to Ruby as Express is to Node.js. I know it's not a PHP example, but I don't know much about PHP frameworks.
Express handles things like cookies, parsing the request body, forming the response and handling routes.
It also is the part of the application that listens to a socket to handle incoming requests.
A simple example from express github
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
app.get('/', function(req, res){
res.send('Hello World');
});
app.listen(3000);
Shows the creation of the express server, creating a route app.get('/'... and opening the port to listen for incoming http requests on.
Express allows you to manage http request easily compared to vanilla js.
you need to the following to make a get request
const Http = new XMLHttpRequest();
const url='https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts';
Http.open("GET", url);
Http.send();
Http.onreadystatechange=(e)=>{
console.log(Http.responseText)
}
In express, you require express and use it and make http requests
const express = require("express")
const app =express();
app.get("url",callback function);
Express in a Node.js based framework which simplifies writing Server-side Code and Logic.
Adds a lot of utility features and offers additional functionality, and in general, makes things easier.
Express is middleware-based : It basically funnels incoming requests through a chain of middlewares (of steps) where we can do something with the request, read some data from it, manipulate it, check if the user is authenticated or basically send back a response immediately.
This middlewares chain allows us to write very structured code
Express is a nodejs Framework build upon the top of Http module with more usable and better functionalities like easy way to handle routes.
eg: Using HTTP
var http = require('http');
//create a server object:
http.createServer(function (req, res) {
res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/html'}); // http header
var url = req.url;
if(url ==='/about'){
res.write('<h1>about us page<h1>'); //write a response
res.end(); //end the response
}else if(url ==='/contact'){
res.write('<h1>contact us page<h1>'); //write a response
res.end(); //end the response
}else{
res.write('<h1>Hello World!<h1>'); //write a response
res.end(); //end the response
}
}).listen(3000, function(){
console.log("server start at port 3000"); //the server object listens on port 3000
});
using Express:
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
app.get('/about',function(req,res)=>{
res.write('<h1>about us page<h1>'); //write a response
res.end();
})