# Http/tcp nodes. Input vs output. Help

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [12 November 2019 20:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861 "2019-11-12T20:10:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [12 November 2019 20:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/1 "2019-11-12T20:10:56Z")

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Looking in the `output` set of nodes there is a `http response` node which

> Sends responses back to requests received from an HTTP Input node.

Yeah, ok. I'll read that as this machine is the one which got the request via the input node.

But when I open the node I see/read:

> The messages sent to this node **must** originate from an _http input_ node

That confuses me.

If the input / "message sent to this node" **must** originate from an `http input` node......  
I read that as I get the input node and it's output has to go to the output node.  
(though as I read it, it is actually a `http response` node. NOT input!)

And so nothing happens to the message.

Now onto the problem/project:  
Though it has been said I should use a different player, I am using VLC player to play music on a remote machine.

I've got some docs from the forum and though I am still not fully understanding them, I have started.

I send a HTTP message to VLC and it does what it is told to do.

But I am not getting how to use NR to create the message given the `http output` node says its input must come from a `http response` node. (Paraphrasing it to comply with the names.)

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**Author:** ![knolleary](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/knolleary/32/3_2.png) [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)\
**Post date:** [12 November 2019 20:35 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/2 "2019-11-12T20:35:19Z")

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> [@Trying\_to\_learn](#):
>
> The messages sent to this node **must** originate from an _http input_ node

The key word is originate. This does not mean the In node must be wired directly to the response node. It means any message that you pass to the response node must have started its life at the In node, but may well pass through other nodes along the way.

But it sounds like you want to send an http request from NR and send it to VLC. In that case use the HTTP Request node, not the In/Response nodes.

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**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 02:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/3 "2019-11-13T02:23:23Z")

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Thanks Nick.

Alas I am (again) failing to see a `HTTP Request` node.

![Screenshot%20from%202019-11-13%2013-21-56](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/2X/9/9f2b9e07bb5054e7563f3aab833aa5c8cf3e8753.png)

Is all I can see.

I'll check if it is a "third party" node.  
(yeah, I should have checked before I posted.)

contrib-http-request?  
[This one?](https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-http-request)

And is that the end of the "line" in the flow? Or do I need to hook up a node to send the payload?

ITMT, I found this link too.

[VLC RC socket.](https://github.com/denisvidyakin/vlc-rc-socket)

But it doesn't seem to work.

(New thread on that matter)

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**Author:** ![bakman2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/bakman2/32/6207_2.png) [@bakman2](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/bakman2)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 06:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/4 "2019-11-13T06:18:15Z")

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Type 'http' in the 'filter nodes' field on the top, it is there, unless you specifically disabled it in 'manage palette'.  
 ![43](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/2X/4/4434bfdaef901f6aecea81d9376d7d4945ffc364.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 06:29 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/5 "2019-11-13T06:29:39Z")

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Interesting.

I don't see it and to the best of my knowledge I have never disabled it.

![Screenshot%20from%202019-11-13%2017-28-22](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/2X/d/d446a46d59f84b48ac2ec161b1b811e81c887d18.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![knolleary](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/knolleary/32/3_2.png) [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 06:44 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/6 "2019-11-13T06:44:18Z")

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As @bakman2 said, use the filter box at the top of the palette to search for it.

In 1.0 we reorganised the palette and moved nodes around. The screenshot from bakman is of 1.0 where all the http nodes were moved together into the 'network' category.

Your screenshot suggests you are on an earlier version, so don't just look in the network category as the node isn't in that category. Use the filter.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 06:49 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/7 "2019-11-13T06:49:55Z")

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This is what I get.

Understand that the rest of the list is blank/empty.

The one you see is the third party one I installed.

 ![Screenshot%20from%202019-11-13%2017-48-30](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/2X/f/fad23d886777c3e2fd645ac5690416b5a7c4c39e.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![knolleary](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/knolleary/32/3_2.png) [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 06:57 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/8 "2019-11-13T06:57:43Z")

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I'm pretty sure that _isn't_ the third party node and is the core request node.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 06:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/9 "2019-11-13T06:58:53Z")

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Well, ok.

I was looking for it, didn't find it and so asked about it here:

[This one?](https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-http-request)

and I installed it.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bakman2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/bakman2/32/6207_2.png) [@bakman2](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/bakman2)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 06:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/10 "2019-11-13T06:59:41Z")

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Which version of node-red do you use on this machine ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 07:00 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/11 "2019-11-13T07:00:33Z")

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0.20.5

That's from the menu at the bottom.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![knolleary](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/knolleary/32/3_2.png) [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 07:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/12 "2019-11-13T07:11:50Z")

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No. You are looking at the core http request node.

The extra node you installed is labelled 'www-request' when it appears in the palette.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [13 November 2019 07:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/http-tcp-nodes-input-vs-output-help/17861/13 "2019-11-13T07:14:35Z")

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Argh!

Ok.

I guess "Mia cupla" for that. But that is not nice how the node describes itself and installs itself with a different name.

Ok. Now I am on the same page.....