koa-lite/docs/api/context.md
2014-01-07 17:22:46 -08:00

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# Context
A Koa Context encapsulates node's `request` and `response` objects
into a single object which provides many helpful methods for writing
web applications and APIs.
Many accessors and methods simply delegate to their `ctx.request` or `ctx.response`
equivalents for convenience, and are otherwise identical.
These operations are used so frequently in HTTP server development
that they are added at this level, instead of a higher level framework,
which would force middleware to re-implement this common functionality.
A `Context` is created _per_ request, and is referenced in middleware
as the receiver, or the `this` identifier, as shown in the following
snippet:
```js
app.use(function *(){
this; // is the Context
this.request; // is a koa Request
this.response; // is a koa Response
});
```
## API
`Context` specific methods and accessors.
### ctx.req
Node's `request` object.
### ctx.res
Node's `response` object.
Bypassing Koa's response handling is __not supported__. Avoid using the following node properties:
- `res.statusCode`
- `res.writeHead()`
- `res.write()`
- `res.end()`
### ctx.request
A koa `Request` object.
### ctx.response
A koa `Response` object.
### ctx.app
Application instance reference.
### ctx.cookies.get(name, [options])
Get cookie `name` with `options`:
- `signed` the cookie requested should be signed
Note: koa uses the [cookies](https://github.com/jed/cookies) module where options are simply passed.
### ctx.cookies.set(name, value, [options])
Set cookie `name` to `value` with `options`:
- `signed` sign the cookie value
- `expires` a `Date` for cookie expiration
- `path` cookie path, `/'` by default
- `domain` cookie domain
- `secure` secure cookie
- `httpOnly` server-accessible cookie, __true__ by default
Note: koa uses the [cookies](https://github.com/jed/cookies) module where options are simply passed.
### ctx.throw(msg, [status])
Helper method to throw an error with a `.status` property
defaulting to `500` that will allow Koa to respond appropriately.
The following combinations are allowed:
```js
this.throw(403)
this.throw('name required', 400)
this.throw(400, 'name required')
this.throw('something exploded')
```
For example `this.throw('name required', 400)` is equivalent to:
```js
var err = new Error('name required');
err.status = 400;
throw err;
```
Note that these are user-level errors and are flagged with
`err.expose` meaning the messages are appropriate for
client responses, which is typically not the case for
error messages since you do not want to leak failure
details.
## Request aliases
The following accessors and alias [Request](request.md) equivalents:
- `ctx.header`
- `ctx.method`
- `ctx.method=`
- `ctx.url`
- `ctx.url=`
- `ctx.path`
- `ctx.path=`
- `ctx.query`
- `ctx.query=`
- `ctx.querystring`
- `ctx.querystring=`
- `ctx.length`
- `ctx.host`
- `ctx.host=`
- `ctx.fresh`
- `ctx.stale`
- `ctx.socket`
- `ctx.protocol`
- `ctx.secure`
- `ctx.ip`
- `ctx.ips`
- `ctx.subdomains`
- `ctx.is()`
- `ctx.accepts()`
- `ctx.acceptsEncodings()`
- `ctx.acceptsCharsets()`
- `ctx.acceptsLanguages()`
- `ctx.get()`
## Response aliases
The following accessors and alias [Response](response.md) equivalents:
- `ctx.body`
- `ctx.body=`
- `ctx.status`
- `ctx.status=`
- `ctx.length=`
- `ctx.type`
- `ctx.type=`
- `ctx.headerSent`
- `ctx.redirect()`
- `ctx.attachment()`
- `ctx.set()`
- `ctx.remove()`
- `ctx.lastModified=`
- `ctx.etag=`