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Hey everyone! This is the fourth post in my new node.js modules you should know about article series.
The first post was about dnode - the freestyle rpc library for node, the second was about optimist - the lightweight options parser for node, the third was about lazy - lazy lists for node.
This time I'll introduce you to a very awesome module called request by Mikeal Rogers. Request is the swiss army knife of HTTP streaming.
Check this out:
var fs = require('fs')
var request = require('request');
request('http://google.com/doodle.png').pipe(fs.createWriteStream('doodle.png'))
Pow! You just streamed the response of HTTP request to http://google.com/doodle.png into doodle.png local file!
Here is more awesome stuff:
var fs = require('fs')
var request = require('request');
fs.readStream('file.json').pipe(request.put('http://mysite.com/obj.json'))
Pow! It streamed your local file file.json to http://mysite.com/obj.json as HTTP PUT request!
var request = require('request');
request.get('http://google.com/img.png').pipe(request.put('http://mysite.com/img.png'))
Pow! This just streamed a HTTP GET from http://google.com/img.png to HTTP PUT to http://mysite.com/img.png.
At Browserling we use this module for streaming data to and from couchdb. Here is an example that saves a JSON document at mikeal's test couchdb:
var request = require('request')
var rand = Math.floor(Math.random()*100000000).toString()
request({
method: 'PUT',
uri: 'http://mikeal.iriscouch.com/testjs/' + rand,
multipart: [
{
'content-type': 'application/json',
'body': JSON.stringify({
foo: 'bar',
_attachments: {
'message.txt': {
follows: true,
length: 18,
'content_type': 'text/plain'
}
}
})
},
{ body: 'I am an attachment' }
]
}, function (error, response, body) {
if(response.statusCode == 201){
console.log('document saved as: http://mikeal.iriscouch.com/testjs/'+ rand);
} else {
console.log('error: '+ response.statusCode);
console.log(body);
}
})
Install it via npm, as always:
npm install request
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Comments
Thanks. This was really helpful. Keep it coming. :-)
Every day for the next month or two!
Is requre a keyword in Node js?
It's just a function, it's not a keyword. You can redefine it.
pkrumins$ node > typeof require 'function' > require = function (x) { console.log(x) } [Function] > require('meow') meowMore node posts! Yay! Everyone has had enough time to learn sed, AWK and Perl by now.
Yeah! I am done with sed, awk and perl. Mastered it all, so should have all my readers. :)
I think the previous comment refers to the typo in require, and namely requre
Oops, you're right. I just noticed that. Fixed now!
We have, my master.... :)
I'm not saying that I dislike your other posts, it's just that this stuff is more interesting ;-)
I have blogged it all about sed, awk and perl. Nothing left. :)
@Wael - yes, it's a built-in function for importing a module.
Your "pow!" really encourages people to do random voice over, and not focus much on your NodeJS article. Good article though. Thanks for sharing.
Pow!
Thanks a lot! Very useful.
Looks much simpler than "http"/"https".
Pow! Good post Peteris. The 'fs' method 'readStream' throws this error - reObject #
<Object>has no method 'readStream'. When I took a look at the node.js documentation I noticed that that the method starts with capital letter 'R' - 'ReadStream'. Thank you for this awesome series.
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