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HTTP Request Node

The HTTP Request node enables making HTTP requests to external APIs and web services with full control over headers, methods, and request body.

Overview​

This versatile node supports all standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH) with comprehensive configuration options for headers, authentication, and request/response handling.

Configuration​

Required Parameters​

ParameterTypeDescription
urlStringTarget URL for the request
methodStringHTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.)

Optional Parameters​

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
headersObjectCustom headers for the request
bodyString/ObjectnullRequest body (for POST, PUT, PATCH)
timeoutNumber30000Request timeout in milliseconds
followRedirectsBooleantrueFollow HTTP redirects
maxRedirectsNumber5Maximum number of redirects
authObjectnullAuthentication configuration
retriesNumber0Number of retry attempts

Input Schema​

{
  "url": "https://api.example.com/users",
  "method": "POST",
  "headers": {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Authorization": "Bearer token123",
    "User-Agent": "AxonOS/1.0"
  },
  "body": {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com"
  },
  "timeout": 10000,
  "retries": 2
}

Output Schema​

{
  "status": 200,
  "statusText": "OK",
  "headers": {
    "content-type": "application/json",
    "content-length": "156"
  },
  "data": {
    "id": 123,
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  },
  "config": {
    "url": "https://api.example.com/users",
    "method": "POST"
  },
  "duration": 245
}

Authentication​

Bearer Token​

{
  "auth": {
    "type": "bearer",
    "token": "your-access-token"
  }
}

Basic Authentication​

{
  "auth": {
    "type": "basic",
    "username": "user",
    "password": "pass"
  }
}

API Key​

{
  "headers": {
    "X-API-Key": "your-api-key"
  }
}

Examples​

GET Request​

// Input
{
  "url": "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1",
  "method": "GET",
  "headers": {
    "Accept": "application/json"
  }
}

// Output
{
  "status": 200,
  "data": {
    "userId": 1,
    "id": 1,
    "title": "sunt aut facere...",
    "body": "quia et suscipit..."
  }
}

POST with JSON Body​

// Input
{
  "url": "https://httpbin.org/post",
  "method": "POST",
  "headers": {
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "title": "New Post",
    "content": "This is a new post"
  }
}

File Upload (Multipart)​

// Input
{
  "url": "https://httpbin.org/post",
  "method": "POST",
  "headers": {
    "Content-Type": "multipart/form-data"
  },
  "body": {
    "file": "@/path/to/file.pdf",
    "description": "Document upload"
  }
}

GraphQL Query​

// Input
{
  "url": "https://api.github.com/graphql",
  "method": "POST",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer ghp_xxxx",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "query": "{ viewer { login } }"
  }
}

Error Handling​

The node handles various error scenarios:

Status CodeDescriptionAction
400-499Client errorsReturns error with response body
500-599Server errorsRetries if configured, then returns error
TimeoutRequest timeoutRetries if configured
NetworkConnection failedRetries if configured

Error Response Format​

{
  "error": true,
  "status": 404,
  "statusText": "Not Found",
  "message": "Resource not found",
  "data": {
    "error": "User with ID 999 does not exist"
  }
}

Advanced Features​

Custom Retry Logic​

{
  "retries": 3,
  "retryDelay": 1000,
  "retryOn": [408, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504]
}

Request Interceptors​

{
  "interceptors": {
    "request": "function(config) { /* modify request */ }",
    "response": "function(response) { /* process response */ }"
  }
}

Proxy Configuration​

{
  "proxy": {
    "host": "proxy.company.com",
    "port": 8080,
    "auth": {
      "username": "proxy-user",
      "password": "proxy-pass"
    }
  }
}

Best Practices​

  1. Timeout Settings: Always set appropriate timeouts for external requests
  2. Error Handling: Implement proper error handling for all status codes
  3. Rate Limiting: Respect API rate limits and implement backoff strategies
  4. Security: Store credentials securely, use HTTPS when possible
  5. Logging: Log requests for debugging but avoid sensitive data
  6. Caching: Cache responses when appropriate to reduce API calls

Performance Tips​

  • Use connection pooling for multiple requests to the same host
  • Implement request caching for frequently accessed data
  • Set appropriate timeout values to avoid hanging requests
  • Use streaming for large file downloads
  • Compress request bodies when supported
  • GraphQL Client - Specialized GraphQL requests
  • Webhook Receiver - Handle incoming webhooks
  • Rate Limiter - Control request frequency

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. CORS Errors

    • Add appropriate CORS headers
    • Use proxy for cross-domain requests

  2. SSL Certificate Issues

    • Verify certificate validity
    • Configure certificate validation

  3. Authentication Failures

    • Check token expiration
    • Verify authentication method

  4. Request Size Limits

    • Check API payload limits
    • Use streaming for large files

Need Help?​