HTTP Enums (Status, Methods, Headers)

Common errors

• TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'GET')

  cause Attempting to access an enum member (e.g., `HttpMethod.GET`) when the enum object itself (`HttpMethod`) was not correctly imported or is `undefined`.
  fix Ensure you are using named imports correctly: `import { HttpMethod } from 'http-enums';`. If using CommonJS, verify the `require` statement loads the module correctly before accessing its properties.

• TS2305: Module '"http-enums"' has no exported member 'MyCustomEnum'.

  cause Trying to import an enum symbol that does not exist or has been renamed in the `http-enums` package.
  fix Double-check the available exports from the `http-enums` package. Common exports are `HttpStatus`, `HttpMethod`, `HttpRequestHeaders`, and `HttpResponseHeaders`. Ensure correct casing.

• ReferenceError: HttpStatus is not defined

  cause Using an enum like `HttpStatus` without first importing it into the current file scope.
  fix Add the necessary import statement at the top of your file: `import { HttpStatus } from 'http-enums';`.

Warnings

• gotcha The `http-enums` package has not been updated in approximately three years (since January 2020). While HTTP standards are relatively stable, this means it may not include very recent additions or clarifications to HTTP status codes, methods, or headers. Consider this if working with cutting-edge HTTP specifications.
  Fix: For projects requiring the absolute latest HTTP specification accuracy or active maintenance, consider alternative, more recently updated HTTP utility libraries or defining custom enums.
• gotcha Header names in HTTP are case-insensitive by standard, but JavaScript string comparisons are case-sensitive. While `HttpRequestHeaders` and `HttpResponseHeaders` provide canonical names, always normalize incoming header keys (e.g., to lowercase) before direct comparison if they come from external sources like `req.headers` in Node.js.
  Fix: When comparing against actual HTTP header values, convert the incoming header key to lowercase: `const incomingHeaders = { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }; if (incomingHeaders['content-type'] === 'application/json') { /* ... */ }`.
• gotcha Attempting to use `require` to import individual named exports directly (e.g., `const { HttpStatus } = require('http-enums');`) might lead to `undefined` or runtime errors in some CommonJS environments, especially if the package's `package.json` specifies `"type": "module"` or uses only ESM syntax internally.
  Fix: For CommonJS, it is generally safer to `const HttpEnums = require('http-enums');` and then access properties like `HttpEnums.HttpStatus`. However, for modern TypeScript/JavaScript projects, stick to `import { HttpStatus } from 'http-enums';`.

Install

• npm install http-enums npm
• yarn add http-enums yarn
• pnpm add http-enums pnpm

Imports

• HttpStatus
  wrong:

  const HttpStatus = require('http-enums').HttpStatus;

  correct:

  import { HttpStatus } from 'http-enums';

  This library ships with TypeScript types and is primarily designed for ESM-style named imports. CommonJS `require` works but is not idiomatic.
• HttpMethod
  wrong:

  import HttpMethod from 'http-enums';

  correct:

  import { HttpMethod } from 'http-enums';

  Only named exports are provided for individual enum collections; default imports will fail.
• HttpRequestHeaders, HttpResponseHeaders
  wrong:

  import * as HttpEnums from 'http-enums';

  correct:

  import { HttpRequestHeaders, HttpResponseHeaders } from 'http-enums';

  While `import * as HttpEnums from 'http-enums'` would import all exports, it's generally better practice to import specific symbols for clarity and tree-shaking.

Quickstart

Demonstrates importing various HTTP enumerations (status, method, request/response headers) and using their values in a TypeScript function.

import { HttpStatus, HttpMethod, HttpRequestHeaders, HttpResponseHeaders } from 'http-enums';

function handleRequest(method: HttpMethod, status: HttpStatus, headers: Record<string, string>): void {
  console.log(`Received ${method} request with status ${status}.`);

  if (method === HttpMethod.GET) {
    console.log('This is a GET request.');
  }

  if (status === HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND) {
    console.log('Resource not found.');
  }

  if (headers[HttpRequestHeaders.ACCEPT_LANGUAGE] === 'en-US') {
    console.log('Client prefers US English.');
  }

  console.log(`Setting Content-Type to: ${HttpResponseHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE_APPLICATION_JSON}`);
}

handleRequest(HttpMethod.POST, HttpStatus.CREATED, { 'accept-language': 'en-US', [HttpRequestHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE]: 'application/json' });
handleRequest(HttpMethod.GET, HttpStatus.OK, { 'user-agent': 'MyBrowser/1.0' });