HTTP Request Node

What is an HTTP Request Node?

An HTTP Request Node is a central component in automation and integration platforms (n8n, Node-RED, Node.js) that sends HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE) to external servers or APIs, processing responses within automation workflows. This node is vital for integrating systems, consuming third-party services, triggering webhooks, and exchanging data between applications.

Core Capabilities

Supported HTTP Methods:

• GET – Retrieve data from specified resource
• POST – Send data to create or update resource
• PUT – Replace or update resource
• PATCH – Partially update resource
• DELETE – Remove resource
• HEAD – Retrieve headers without response body
• OPTIONS – Query supported communication options

Authentication Options:

• No Authentication (open endpoints)
• Basic Authentication (username/password, Base64-encoded)
• Digest Authentication (hashed credentials)
• Bearer Token (JWT in Authorization header)
• OAuth1 & OAuth2 (delegated, token-based access)
• Header Auth (custom headers for API keys)
• Custom Auth (user-defined logic)
• Query Auth (credentials via query parameters)

Supported Data Formats:

• application/json (JSON payloads)
• application/x-www-form-urlencoded (key/value pairs)
• multipart/form-data (file uploads, complex data)
• Raw (arbitrary content with specified content type)
• Plain Text (unstructured text)
• Binary (file and binary data transfer)

Additional Features:

• Custom headers (Content-Type, Authorization)
• Query parameters (dynamic filtering)
• Proxy support (HTTP proxies)
• Timeouts (request and connection control)
• SSL validation control (ignore certificate errors)
• Automatic and manual pagination
• Redirect handling
• Response handling (JSON, text, binary, file)
• Batching (parallel or sequential requests)

Configuration by Platform

n8n HTTP Request Node

Basic Parameters:

• Method – Select HTTP method (DELETE, GET, HEAD, OPTIONS, PATCH, POST, PUT)
• URL – API endpoint (static or dynamic using expressions)
• Authentication – Choose predefined credentials or configure manually
• Send Query Parameters – Define as key/value pairs or JSON
• Send Headers – Specify custom headers
• Send Body – Enable for POST, PUT, PATCH requests
• Output Variables – Map status code, body, headers to workflow variables

Advanced Options:

• Array format in query parameters
• Batching (items per batch, delay between batches)
• Ignore SSL issues (trusted endpoints only)
• Lowercase headers toggle
• Redirects (enable/disable, max redirects)
• Response handling (include headers/status, format)
• Pagination (off, parameter update, next URL)
• Proxy specification
• Timeout (request timeout in ms)

Example POST Request:

{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/resource",
  "headers": {
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com"
  }
}

Node-RED HTTP Request Node

Configuration:

• Method – GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH
• URL – Static or dynamic using Mustache syntax ({{variable}})
• Payload – Ignore, append to query string, or send as body
• Authentication – None, Basic, Digest, Bearer Token
• Proxy – Route via proxy server if needed
• Headers – Add via node config or msg.headers
• Output – Specify response as string, parsed JSON, or binary buffer
• Catch Node – Handle non-2xx HTTP responses

Example Dynamic GET Request:

{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/users/{{userId}}",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{token}}"
  }
}

Important: Reset msg.headers to {} between HTTP nodes to avoid header leakage.

Node.js HTTP Requests

Native HTTP/HTTPS Modules:
Low-level modules for full control over requests with built-in streaming support.

Fetch API (Node.js 18+):
Built-in since Node.js 18, returns Promises, supports async/await syntax.

const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data');
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

axios:
Promise-based HTTP client with interceptors, timeout, automatic JSON handling, request/response transformation.

const axios = require('axios');
axios.post('https://api.example.com/resource', {
  name: 'John Doe',
  email: 'john@example.com'
}, {
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_TOKEN'
  }
}).then(response => {
  console.log(response.data);
});

Best Practices

Security:

• Use built-in credential managers, never hard-code secrets
• Always use HTTPS with SSL certificate validation
• Sanitize all dynamic input (headers, params, body)
• Rotate, expire, and securely store tokens

Error Handling:

• Always check and handle HTTP status codes
• Set appropriate timeouts to avoid hanging requests
• Implement retries for transient failures (network, 5xx errors)

Content Types and Encoding:

• Match Content-Type header to body format
• URL-encode query parameters for special characters
• Check API docs for required array encoding

Pagination:

• Recognize API patterns (page/limit, offset, next URL)
• Use platform pagination features where possible

Headers and Response Handling:

• In Node-RED, reset msg.headers between HTTP nodes
• Check response headers for rate limits, authentication challenges, pagination

Debugging:

• Validate configs with built-in test features or tools like Postman
• Log full responses for troubleshooting

Common Pitfalls

• Incorrect Content-Type causing API rejections
• Unencoded query params with special characters
• Header inheritance in Node-RED (must reset between nodes)
• Ignoring non-2xx responses without proper error handling
• Missing authentication for APIs requiring credentials

Use Cases

API Integration:
Fetch user info from REST API. Configure GET method, set URL, add Authorization header, map response.

Sending Data:
Submit form. POST method, Content-Type application/x-www-form-urlencoded, enter fields.

File Upload:
Upload file using multipart/form-data. POST/PUT, attach file.

Webhook Trigger:
Notify external system upon event. POST method, set URL, send JSON body.

Automation with AI Agents (n8n):
Use HTTP Request Node in LLM workflow. Attach node, configure optimized response extraction.

Platform-Specific Notes

n8n:

• Predefined OAuth2, API Key, generic auth options
• Drag-and-drop UI, cURL import
• Body/Headers/Query as fields or direct JSON input
• Pagination supports parameter increment and next-URL
• AI Agent Integration optimizes responses for LLMs

Node-RED:

• Dynamic config via msg.method, msg.url, msg.headers
• Mustache syntax for dynamic URLs/headers
• Auto Content-Type for object payloads
• Response handling: string, JSON, binary buffer

Node.js:

• HTTP/HTTPS: Low-level, full control
• axios/node-fetch/Fetch API: High-level, Promise-based
• Native streaming support
• Proxy via environment or library options

References

• n8n HTTP Request Node Documentation
• Mastering the n8n HTTP Request Node
• Node-RED HTTP Request Node
• Node-RED Securing Guide
• Node-RED HTTPS Configuration
• Node-RED Proxy Configuration
• Node.js HTTP Module Documentation
• W3Schools: Node.js HTTP Module
• Axios Documentation
• Node.js Fetch API Guide
• Stack Overflow: HTTP POST in Node.js
• Postman