# Struggling with sending HTTP requests to the "http in" node

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [17 August 2021 13:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846 "2021-08-17T13:21:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tom\_holzwurm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tom\_holzwurm](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/tom_holzwurm)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2021 13:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/1 "2021-08-17T13:21:14Z")

</div>

Hi colleagues,  
I'm currently learning web development based on HTTP/JS.  
Node-RED: 1.2.9  
My current problem/challenge is the following:  
I want to transfer a simple JSON object from HTTP/JS code in my browser via the http-in node into a node-red function node for further processing:

JS snippet executed in Browser

```auto
 const myInit = {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {"Header":"MyHeader"},
  mode: 'no-cors',
  cache: 'default',
  body: {"Body":"MyBody"}
};

 data=fetch('https://nodered/ButtonReceiver?Name=123456',myInit)

```

On the Node-Red Server side I've set the following

http-in node is configured as "POST" and the URL above.

Executing the js script provides no errors, ( HTTP:200)  
but:  
the payload coming from the node's output is always "[object] [object]", and I can't resolve these objects.  
The parameters after the "?" are transferred instead correctly

I'd appreciate to get some hints or an example, what's wrong with my approach.  
And: how would I get data back into my JS from an http send node ?

Thanks in advance,  
Regards Thomas

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hardillb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/hardillb/32/12373_2.png) [@hardillb](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/hardillb)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2021 13:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/2 "2021-08-17T13:23:23Z")

</div>

Show us how you've set up the http-in node and how it's wired to the function node.

Also have you attached a debug node to the http-in node to see exactly what is being sent?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tom\_holzwurm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tom\_holzwurm](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/tom_holzwurm)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2021 13:41 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/3 "2021-08-17T13:41:27Z")

</div>

Yes debug node is included:

```auto
[{"id":"e2fcc8b37c222ede","type":"debug","z":"f6f2187d.f17ca8","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"false","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":900,"y":340,"wires":[]},{"id":"86ea9e9c9abe64d8","type":"http response","z":"f6f2187d.f17ca8","name":"output","statusCode":"","headers":{},"x":990,"y":280,"wires":[]},{"id":"5ad3d4e0ed235613","type":"template","z":"f6f2187d.f17ca8","name":"Template","field":"payload","fieldType":"msg","format":"html","syntax":"mustache","template":"<html>\n <head></head>\n <body>\n <h1>GET: ButtonReceived</h1>\n </body>\n</html>","output":"str","x":730,"y":280,"wires":[["86ea9e9c9abe64d8"]]},{"id":"8c2d3262.4f0a5","type":"http in","z":"f6f2187d.f17ca8","name":"HTTP IN","url":"/ButtonReceiver","method":"post","upload":false,"swaggerDoc":"","x":480,"y":340,"wires":[["e2fcc8b37c222ede","5ad3d4e0ed235613"]]}]

```

Thanks for taking care and: is the import of JS OK for debugging ?  
Regards Thomas

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![UnborN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/4491bb/32.png) [@UnborN](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/UnborN)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2021 14:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/4 "2021-08-17T14:23:33Z")

</div>

> [@tom\_holzwurm](#):
>
> he payload coming from the node's output is always "[object] [object]",

I think that's possibly because you havent set the correct Headers in your request  
Try doing your fetch call like this :

```auto
let requestOptions = {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type':'application/json'},
  body: { "Body": "MyBody"},
};

fetch("http://<yourip>:1880/ButtonReceiver", requestOptions)
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(result => console.log(result))
  .catch(error => console.log('error', error));

```

also because fetch takes some time to complete (asynchronous) it always returns a Promise  
so in order to get the response you need to tag on a `.then`.  
Now if your ButtonReceiver endpoint replies back with a json that needs to be parsed `response.json()`  
but because `.json` can also take some time that also returns a Promise .. yea i know 😉 .. and you need a second `.then` to return the actual data.

Modified the flow a bit to return a json and set your debug node to Complete msg.

```auto
[{"id":"e2fcc8b37c222ede","type":"debug","z":"4895ea10b4ee9ead","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"true","targetType":"full","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":410,"y":940,"wires":[]},{"id":"86ea9e9c9abe64d8","type":"http response","z":"4895ea10b4ee9ead","name":"output","statusCode":"","headers":{},"x":670,"y":1020,"wires":[]},{"id":"8c2d3262.4f0a5","type":"http in","z":"4895ea10b4ee9ead","name":"HTTP IN","url":"/ButtonReceiver","method":"post","upload":false,"swaggerDoc":"","x":270,"y":1020,"wires":[["e2fcc8b37c222ede","6cd9b824e2102efa"]]},{"id":"6cd9b824e2102efa","type":"function","z":"4895ea10b4ee9ead","name":"","func":"msg.statusCode = 200\nmsg.payload = {\n \"message\": \"Message Received\",\n \"data\": msg.payload\n}\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":460,"y":1020,"wires":[["86ea9e9c9abe64d8"]]}]

```

Some reading material and examples on [Fetch](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/javascript-fetch-method/)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tom\_holzwurm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tom\_holzwurm](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/tom_holzwurm)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2021 14:50 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/5 "2021-08-17T14:50:34Z")

</div>

OK, I implemented your proposal, but it doesn't properly work:  
There's still no content in the payload and the async reply leads to a syntax error:

```auto
JSON.parse: unexpected end of data at line 1 column 1 of the JSON data

```

which I would interpret as no data is delivered and therefore the parsing fails ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![UnborN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/4491bb/32.png) [@UnborN](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/UnborN)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2021 15:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/6 "2021-08-17T15:16:57Z")

</div>

the code i shared was untested.  
use `body: JSON.stringify({ "Body": "MyBody" }),` in requestOptions to be sure we are sending json

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tom\_holzwurm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tom\_holzwurm](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/tom_holzwurm)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2021 18:44 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/7 "2021-08-17T18:44:22Z")

</div>

I've checked it and "hurray" it's working. Just to be sure: body has to be a string, not a JSON ?  
Because: if I define body as "

```auto
body: '({ "Body": "MyBody" })'

```

I get the same result. Is my conclusion correct ?

What's missing is the return value, as I still only an get empty reply.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![UnborN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/4491bb/32.png) [@UnborN](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/UnborN)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2021 18:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/8 "2021-08-17T18:59:35Z")

</div>

> [@tom\_holzwurm](#):
>
> ```auto
> body: '({ "Body": "MyBody" })'
> 
> ```
> 
> I get the same result. Is my conclusion correct ?

yes exactly .. Basically JSON is a string  
( a string with a special syntax that can be later parsed and used as a Javascript object )  
and i believe because we have the 'application/json' headers in our request thats why node-red's http parses it as such.

> [@tom\_holzwurm](#):
>
> What's missing is the return value, as I still only an get empty reply.

What do you mean ?  
Its up to you to structure the reply message .. it can be anything.  
For example you can post some data to your endpoint .. the http-in node receives it in payload .. you process it .. maybe get some data from a db etc .. and then send it back to the user with the http-response node.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tom\_holzwurm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tom\_holzwurm](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/tom_holzwurm)\
**Post date:** [19 August 2021 12:09 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/9 "2021-08-19T12:09:26Z")

</div>

Thanks for the clarification !

> Blockquote  
> and then send it back to the user with the http-response node.

Exactly that one is my problem: I can send back what ever I like and the content of my response from fetch is always empty

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![UnborN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/4491bb/32.png) [@UnborN](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/UnborN)\
**Post date:** [19 August 2021 12:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/10 "2021-08-19T12:21:51Z")

</div>

Simply saying ...

> [@tom\_holzwurm](#):
>
> my response from fetch is always empty

... makes it a little difficult to understand what could be the problem.

Show us the code 😉  
.. share the index.html or any js files you have for the front-end  
and share also the Node-red flow to test so we can try to replicate it and help.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [18 October 2021 12:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/struggling-with-sending-http-requests-to-the-http-in-node/49846/11 "2021-10-18T12:21:54Z")

</div>

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