How to Process POST Data in node.js?

Better Stack Team
Updated on April 4, 2024

In Node.js, you can process POST data in different ways depending on the framework or library you are using. I'll provide examples for both native HTTP and using the popular Express.js framework.

Native HTTP Module

To process POST data in a native Node.js HTTP server, you need to listen for the data and end events on the request object. Here's a simple example:

 
const http = require('http');

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

    req.on('data', (chunk) => {
      data += chunk;
    });

    req.on('end', () => {
      // Process the POST data
      console.log('Received POST data:', data);

      res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
      res.end('Data received successfully');
    });
  } else {
    res.writeHead(404, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
    res.end('Not Found');
  }
});

const PORT = 3000;
server.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server listening on port ${PORT}`);
});

Express.js

If you're using Express.js, you can use the body-parser middleware to parse POST data. Install it using:

 
npm install body-parser

Then, use it in your Express app:

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

const app = express();

// Parse JSON and url-encoded data
app.use(bodyParser.json());
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));

// Handle POST requests
app.post('/process-post', (req, res) => {
  // Access POST data
  const postData = req.body;

  // Process the data
  console.log('Received POST data:', postData);

  res.send('Data received successfully');
});

const PORT = 3000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server listening on port ${PORT}`);
});

In this example, the body-parser middleware is used to parse JSON and URL-encoded data sent in POST requests. The processed data is available in req.body.

Choose the approach that fits your use case and preferences. The native approach is lightweight, while using Express.js provides a more convenient and feature-rich way to handle HTTP requests.

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