How to Fix Error: Request Entity Too Large

Better Stack Team
Updated on April 4, 2024

The "Error: request entity too large" typically occurs when the payload of a HTTP request exceeds the size limit set by the server. This can happen in various contexts, such as when handling file uploads, form submissions, or any other request that includes a large amount of data.

To fix this error, you can take different approaches depending on the context:

Express.js (Handling Form Data)

If you're using Express.js to handle form data, you can adjust the body-parser middleware to increase the request size limit.

 
const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();

// Increase the request size limit (adjust the limit based on your needs)
app.use(bodyParser.json({ limit: '50mb' }));
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ limit: '50mb', extended: true }));

// Your other Express middleware and routes...

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});

Express.js (Handling File Uploads)

If you're dealing with file uploads, you may need to adjust the limits for both body-parser and multer middleware.

 
const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
const multer = require('multer');

const app = express();

// Increase the request size limit for body-parser
app.use(bodyParser.json({ limit: '50mb' }));
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ limit: '50mb', extended: true }));

// Increase the request size limit for multer
const upload = multer({ limits: { fileSize: 50 * 1024 * 1024 } }); // 50MB limit
app.post('/upload', upload.single('file'), (req, res) => {
  // Handle the uploaded file
  res.status(200).json({ message: 'File uploaded successfully' });
});

// Your other Express middleware and routes...

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});

Native HTTP Server (Without Express)

If you're using the native http module to create an HTTP server, you can handle request data directly. Here's a simple example:

 
const http = require('http');

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  let data = '';

  req.on('data', (chunk) => {
    // Accumulate the request data
    data += chunk;

    // Check if the data size exceeds the limit
    if (data.length > 50 * 1024 * 1024) {
      res.writeHead(413, 'Request Entity Too Large', { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
      res.end('Request entity too large');
      req.connection.destroy(); // Terminate the request
    }
  });

  req.on('end', () => {
    // Process the accumulated data
    // ...

    // Send a response
    res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
    res.end('OK');
  });
});

server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});

Adjust the limits and error handling based on your specific use case and requirements. Always be cautious when increasing request size limits, as it may have implications for your server's performance and security.

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