Deliver an intentionally bogus HTTP response using Express

Question

Deliver an intentionally bogus HTTP response using Express

I'm currently working on creating test cases for a web application and I am interested in testing how well the client can handle invalid HTTP responses. Can you provide some suggestions on how to purposely mess up a response so that it is no longer valid? I attempted the method below, but it seems that Express automatically corrected the Content-Length:

app.get('/broken/', function(req, res) {
    console.log('request received for ' + req.path);
    res.set('Content-Length', 0).send('more than zero');
});

UPDATE: It's worth mentioning that I do not have full control over the incoming requests. There have been instances where they were invalid in the past.

javascript http express

Answer 1

Answer №1

In my opinion, the best approach (despite potential workarounds) is to avoid using an HTTP client for this task. Most HTTP clients are designed to prevent users from making improper HTTP requests. To truly achieve what you're looking for, creating a custom HTTP client that knowingly violates standards would require delving into writing TCP sockets. While this may not seamlessly integrate with your testing framework, it seems like this solution is only necessary for one specific test scenario.

Answer 2

In my opinion, the best approach (despite potential workarounds) is to avoid using an HTTP client for this task. Most HTTP clients are designed to prevent users from making improper HTTP requests. To truly achieve what you're looking for, creating a custom HTTP client that knowingly violates standards would require delving into writing TCP sockets. While this may not seamlessly integrate with your testing framework, it seems like this solution is only necessary for one specific test scenario.

Answer 3

Answer №2

It is true that Express reinitializes the Content-Length parameter within the response.send method.

If there is content (chunk) present, the length of the chunk is determined and assigned to the 'Content-Length' header.
if (chunk !== undefined) {
  len = chunk.length;
  this.set('Content-Length', len);
}

Essentially, the send function primarily deals with setting headers and then passes on the remaining tasks to http.ServerResponse.end.

To avoid this characteristic, you can utilize the end method directly.

app.get('/broken/', function(req, res) {
  res.set('Content-Length', 0)
     .set('Content-Type', type)
     .end('more than zero');
});

Answer 4

It is true that Express reinitializes the Content-Length parameter within the response.send method.

If there is content (chunk) present, the length of the chunk is determined and assigned to the 'Content-Length' header.
if (chunk !== undefined) {
  len = chunk.length;
  this.set('Content-Length', len);
}

Essentially, the send function primarily deals with setting headers and then passes on the remaining tasks to http.ServerResponse.end.

To avoid this characteristic, you can utilize the end method directly.

app.get('/broken/', function(req, res) {
  res.set('Content-Length', 0)
     .set('Content-Type', type)
     .end('more than zero');
});

Deliver an intentionally bogus HTTP response using Express

Answer №1

Answer №2

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