electron/docs/api/net.md

net

Issue HTTP/HTTPS requests using Chromium's native networking library

Process: Main

The net module is a client-side API for issuing HTTP(S) requests. It is similar to the HTTP and HTTPS modules of Node.js but uses Chromium's native networking library instead of the Node.js implementation, offering better support for web proxies.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of why you may consider using the net module instead of the native Node.js modules:

• Automatic management of system proxy configuration, support of the wpad protocol and proxy pac configuration files.
• Automatic tunneling of HTTPS requests.
• Support for authenticating proxies using basic, digest, NTLM, Kerberos or negotiate authentication schemes.
• Support for traffic monitoring proxies: Fiddler-like proxies used for access control and monitoring.

The net module API has been specifically designed to mimic, as closely as possible, the familiar Node.js API. The API components including classes, methods, properties and event names are similar to those commonly used in Node.js.

For instance, the following example quickly shows how the net API might be used:

const {app} = require('electron')
app.on('ready', () => {
  const {net} = require('electron')
  const request = net.request('https://github.com')
  request.on('response', (response) => {
    console.log(`STATUS: ${response.statusCode}`)
    console.log(`HEADERS: ${JSON.stringify(response.headers)}`)
    response.on('data', (chunk) => {
      console.log(`BODY: ${chunk}`)
    })
    response.on('end', () => {
      console.log('No more data in response.')
    })
  })
  request.end()
})

By the way, it is almost identical to how you would normally use the HTTP/HTTPS modules of Node.js

The net API can be used only after the application emits the ready event. Trying to use the module before the ready event will throw an error.

Methods

The net module has the following methods:

net.request(options)

• options (Object | String) - The ClientRequest constructor options.

Returns ClientRequest

Creates a ClientRequest instance using the provided options which are directly forwarded to the ClientRequest constructor. The net.request method would be used to issue both secure and insecure HTTP requests according to the specified protocol scheme in the options object.

Class: ClientRequest

Make HTTP/HTTPS requests.

Process: Main

ClientRequest implements the Writable Stream interface and is therefore an EventEmitter.

new ClientRequest(options)

• options (Object | String) - If options is a String, it is interpreted as the request URL. If it is an object, it is expected to fully specify an HTTP request via the following properties:
  • method String (optional) - The HTTP request method. Defaults to the GET method.
  • url String (optional) - The request URL. Must be provided in the absolute form with the protocol scheme specified as http or https.
  • session Object (optional) - The Session instance with which the request is associated.
  • partition String (optional) - The name of the partition with which the request is associated. Defaults to the empty string. The session option prevails on partition. Thus if a session is explicitly specified, partition is ignored.
  • protocol String (optional) - The protocol scheme in the form 'scheme:'. Currently supported values are 'http:' or 'https:'. Defaults to 'http:'.
  • host String (optional) - The server host provided as a concatenation of the hostname and the port number 'hostname:port'
  • hostname String (optional) - The server host name.
  • port Integer (optional) - The server's listening port number.
  • path String (optional) - The path part of the request URL.

options properties such as protocol, host, hostname, port and path strictly follow the Node.js model as described in the URL module.

For instance, we could have created the same request to 'github.com' as follows:

const request = net.request({
  method: 'GET',
  protocol: 'https:',
  hostname: 'github.com',
  port: 443,
  path: '/'
})

Instance Events

Event: 'response'

Returns:

• response IncomingMessage - An object representing the HTTP response message.

Event: 'login'

Returns:

• authInfo Object
  • isProxy Boolean
  • scheme String
  • host String
  • port Integer
  • realm String
• callback Function

Emitted when an authenticating proxy is asking for user credentials.

The callback function is expected to be called back with user credentials:

• username String
• password String

request.on('login', (authInfo, callback) => {
  callback('username', 'password')
})

Providing empty credentials will cancel the request and report an authentication error on the response object:

request.on('response', (response) => {
  console.log(`STATUS: ${response.statusCode}`)
  response.on('error', (error) => {
    console.log(`ERROR: ${JSON.stringify(error)}`)
  })
})
request.on('login', (authInfo, callback) => {
  callback()
})

Event: 'finish'

Emitted just after the last chunk of the request's data has been written into the request object.

Event: 'abort'

Emitted when the request is aborted. The abort event will not be fired if the request is already closed.

Event: 'error'

Returns:

• error Error - an error object providing some information about the failure.

Emitted when the net module fails to issue a network request. Typically when the request object emits an error event, a close event will subsequently follow and no response object will be provided.

Event: 'close'

Emitted as the last event in the HTTP request-response transaction. The close event indicates that no more events will be emitted on either the request or response objects.

Instance Properties

request.chunkedEncoding

A Boolean specifying whether the request will use HTTP chunked transfer encoding or not. Defaults to false. The property is readable and writable, however it can be set only before the first write operation as the HTTP headers are not yet put on the wire. Trying to set the chunkedEncoding property after the first write will throw an error.

Using chunked encoding is strongly recommended if you need to send a large request body as data will be streamed in small chunks instead of being internally buffered inside Electron process memory.

Instance Methods

request.setHeader(name, value)

• name String - An extra HTTP header name.
• value String - An extra HTTP header value.

Adds an extra HTTP header. The header name will issued as it is without lowercasing. It can be called only before first write. Calling this method after the first write will throw an error.

request.getHeader(name)

• name String - Specify an extra header name.

Returns String - The value of a previously set extra header name.

request.removeHeader(name)

• name String - Specify an extra header name.

Removes a previously set extra header name. This method can be called only before first write. Trying to call it after the first write will throw an error.

request.write(chunk[, encoding][, callback])

• chunk (String | Buffer) - A chunk of the request body's data. If it is a string, it is converted into a Buffer using the specified encoding.
• encoding String (optional) - Used to convert string chunks into Buffer objects. Defaults to 'utf-8'.
• callback Function (optional) - Called after the write operation ends.

callback is essentially a dummy function introduced in the purpose of keeping similarity with the Node.js API. It is called asynchronously in the next tick after chunk content have been delivered to the Chromium networking layer. Contrary to the Node.js implementation, it is not guaranteed that chunk content have been flushed on the wire before callback is called.

Adds a chunk of data to the request body. The first write operation may cause the request headers to be issued on the wire. After the first write operation, it is not allowed to add or remove a custom header.

request.end([chunk][, encoding][, callback])

• chunk (String | Buffer) (optional)
• encoding String (optional)
• callback Function (optional)

Sends the last chunk of the request data. Subsequent write or end operations will not be allowed. The finish event is emitted just after the end operation.

request.abort()

Cancels an ongoing HTTP transaction. If the request has already emitted the close event, the abort operation will have no effect. Otherwise an ongoing event will emit abort and close events. Additionally, if there is an ongoing response object,it will emit the aborted event.

Class: IncomingMessage

Handle responses to HTTP/HTTPS requests.

Process: Main

IncomingMessage implements the Readable Stream interface and is therefore an EventEmitter.

Instance Events

Event: 'data'

Returns:

• chunk Buffer - A chunk of response body's data.

The data event is the usual method of transferring response data into applicative code.

Event: 'end'

Indicates that response body has ended.

Event: 'aborted'

Emitted when a request has been canceled during an ongoing HTTP transaction.

Event: 'error'

Returns:

error Error - Typically holds an error string identifying failure root cause.

Emitted when an error was encountered while streaming response data events. For instance, if the server closes the underlying while the response is still streaming, an error event will be emitted on the response object and a close event will subsequently follow on the request object.

Instance Properties

An IncomingMessage instance has the following readable properties:

response.statusCode

An Integer indicating the HTTP response status code.

response.statusMessage

A String representing the HTTP status message.

response.headers

An Object representing the response HTTP headers. The headers object is formatted as follows:

• All header names are lowercased.
• Each header name produces an array-valued property on the headers object.
• Each header value is pushed into the array associated with its header name.

response.httpVersion

A String indicating the HTTP protocol version number. Typical values are '1.0' or '1.1'. Additionally httpVersionMajor and httpVersionMinor are two Integer-valued readable properties that return respectively the HTTP major and minor version numbers.