112 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
112 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
# express-ws [](https://snyk.io/test/github/henningm/express-ws)
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[WebSocket](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API) endpoints for [Express](http://expressjs.com/) applications. Lets you define WebSocket endpoints like any other type of route, and applies regular Express middleware. The WebSocket support is implemented with the help of the [ws](https://github.com/websockets/ws) library.
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## Installation
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`npm install --save express-ws`
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## Usage
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__Full documentation can be found in the API section below. This section only shows a brief example.__
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Add this line to your Express application:
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```javascript
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var expressWs = require('express-ws')(app);
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```
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__Important: Make sure to set up the `express-ws` module like above *before* loading or defining your routers!__ Otherwise, `express-ws` won't get a chance to set up support for Express routers, and you might run into an error along the lines of `router.ws is not a function`.
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After setting up `express-ws`, you will be able to add WebSocket routes (almost) the same way you add other routes. The following snippet sets up a simple echo server at `/echo`. The `ws` parameter is an instance of the WebSocket class described [here](https://github.com/websockets/ws/blob/master/doc/ws.md#class-websocket).
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```javascript
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app.ws('/echo', function(ws, req) {
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ws.on('message', function(msg) {
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ws.send(msg);
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});
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});
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```
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It works with routers, too, this time at `/ws-stuff/echo`:
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```javascript
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var router = express.Router();
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router.ws('/echo', function(ws, req) {
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ws.on('message', function(msg) {
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ws.send(msg);
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});
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});
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app.use("/ws-stuff", router);
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```
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## Full example
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```javascript
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var express = require('express');
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var app = express();
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var expressWs = require('express-ws')(app);
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app.use(function (req, res, next) {
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console.log('middleware');
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req.testing = 'testing';
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return next();
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});
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app.get('/', function(req, res, next){
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console.log('get route', req.testing);
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res.end();
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});
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app.ws('/', function(ws, req) {
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ws.on('message', function(msg) {
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console.log(msg);
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});
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console.log('socket', req.testing);
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});
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app.listen(3000);
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```
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## API
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### expressWs(app, *server*, *options*)
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Sets up `express-ws` on the specified `app`. This will modify the global Router prototype for Express as well - see the `leaveRouterUntouched` option for more information on disabling this.
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* __app__: The Express application to set up `express-ws` on.
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* __server__: *Optional.* When using a custom `http.Server`, you should pass it in here, so that `express-ws` can use it to set up the WebSocket upgrade handlers. If you don't specify a `server`, you will only be able to use it with the server that is created automatically when you call `app.listen`.
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* __options__: *Optional.* An object containing further options.
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* __leaveRouterUntouched:__ Set this to `true` to keep `express-ws` from modifying the Router prototype. You will have to manually `applyTo` every Router that you wish to make `.ws` available on, when this is enabled.
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* __wsOptions:__ Options object passed to WebSocketServer constructor. Necessary for any ws specific features.
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This function will return a new `express-ws` API object, which will be referred to as `wsInstance` in the rest of the documentation.
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### wsInstance.app
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This property contains the `app` that `express-ws` was set up on.
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### wsInstance.getWss()
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Returns the underlying WebSocket server/handler. You can use `wsInstance.getWss().clients` to obtain a list of all the connected WebSocket clients for this server.
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Note that this list will include *all* clients, not just those for a specific route - this means that it's often *not* a good idea to use this for broadcasts, for example.
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### wsInstance.applyTo(router)
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Sets up `express-ws` on the given `router` (or other Router-like object). You will only need this in two scenarios:
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1. You have enabled `options.leaveRouterUntouched`, or
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2. You are using a custom router that is not based on the express.Router prototype.
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In most cases, you won't need this at all.
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## Development
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This module is written in ES6, and uses Babel for compilation. What this means in practice:
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* The source code lives in the `src/` directory.
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* After changing this code, make sure to run `npm run build` to compile it.
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