The New HTTP QUERY Method: How to Use It in Node.js and Express Today
There's a new HTTP method called QUERY. It's safe like GET (doesn't change data) but can carry a body like POST (so you can send filters). This means search endpoints no longer need the old POST /search trick. Let's see
There's a new HTTP method called QUERY. It's safe like GET (doesn't change data) but can carry a body like POST (so you can send filters). This means search endpoints no longer need the old POST /search trick.
Let's see how to use it in Node.js and Express.
Plain Node.js
Node already understands QUERY, no setup needed.
const http = require('node:http');
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
if (req.method === 'QUERY') {
let body = '';
req.on('data', (chunk) => body += chunk);
req.on('end', () => {
const filters = JSON.parse(body);
res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
res.end(JSON.stringify({ results: [], filters }));
});
return;
}
res.writeHead(404);
res.end();
});
server.listen(3000);
Test with curl:
curl -X QUERY http://localhost:3000 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"category":"electronics"}'
Express
Express doesn't support app.query() yet, so add a small check before your routes:
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
app.use((req, res, next) => {
if (req.method === 'QUERY' && req.path === '/products') {
const filters = req.body;
return res.json({ results: [], filters });
}
next();
});
app.listen(3000);
That's it. express.json() already parses the body, no extra config needed.
One gotcha: CORS
If your frontend and backend are on different domains, add QUERY to your CORS methods, or the browser will silently block it:
app.use(cors({
methods: ['GET', 'POST', 'QUERY', 'OPTIONS'],
}));
Quick summary
- Node.js: works out of the box
- Express: needs a small manual check (shown above)
- Browsers: support is still patchy, so keep a POST fallback for now
Full article with more details: https://devencyclopedia.com/blog/http-query-method-express-nodejs
Originally published by Dev.to WebDev. Aggregated on AIWithGhost for educational purposes — full credit and traffic to the original publisher.