Differentiating between HTTP requests and XML HTTP requests in Node.js with the help of express - A step-by-step

I've encountered a situation in my code where I need to differentiate between a regular HTTP request and an AJAX request (i.e XML HTTP Request).

Despite my efforts, using req.isXMLHttpRequest always seems to return undefined for both types of requests.

As a workaround, I have resorted to including a flag in every HTTP request labeled isAjax with either a value of true or false.

Question: What is the recommended approach in this scenario?

  1. Should I continue adding the flag (isAjax) to each XML HTTP request (with values of true or false)?

  2. Or should I focus on resolving issues related to req.isXMLHttpRequest instead?

I would greatly appreciate any insights into why req.isXMLHttpRequest is consistently returning undefined.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Note: My system runs on Node.JS Version 0.8.20 and Express Version 3.1.0

node.jshttpexpressxmlhttprequest

Answer №1

Give this a shot.

request.ajax

It will provide a boolean value indicating whether it's an AJAX request or not.

Answer №2

Building on @scartag's response. If you have the ability to manage the sender of the request (for example, it's your client's code), then simply include the HTTP header X-Requested-With: xmlhttprequest or adjust the body/url to indicate that this is an xhr request.

If you are not in control of the request sender, relying on req.xhr may not be feasible. In this case, your options will vary based on your specific scenario. For example, if your goal is to provide a response tailored to the request, using res.format(_) might be more effective than utilizing req.xhr (assuming that clients will not request a format they cannot handle).

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