req.method and req.url in Express - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - req.method and req.url

Incoming HTTP Request

↓

Express Server Receives Request

↓

Access req.method

→Check HTTP method type (GET, POST, etc.)

↓

Access req.url

→Get the requested URL path

↓

Use method and url to decide response

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Send Response to Client

When Express gets a request, it reads req.method to know the HTTP method and req.url to know the requested path, then uses these to decide how to respond.

Execution Sample

Express

app.use((req, res) => {
  console.log(req.method);
  console.log(req.url);
  res.end('Done');
});

This code logs the HTTP method and URL of each request, then sends a simple response.

Execution Table

Step	Action	req.method	req.url	Output
1	Request arrives: GET /home	GET	/home	Logs 'GET' and '/home'
2	Request arrives: POST /submit	POST	/submit	Logs 'POST' and '/submit'
3	Request arrives: DELETE /item/5	DELETE	/item/5	Logs 'DELETE' and '/item/5'
4	Request arrives: PUT /update	PUT	/update	Logs 'PUT' and '/update'
5	No more requests	-	-	Server waits for next request

💡 Execution continues as server handles each incoming request, logging method and URL each time.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After 1	After 2	After 3	After 4	Final
req.method	-	GET	POST	DELETE	PUT	-
req.url	-	/home	/submit	/item/5	/update	-

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does req.method change with each request?

Because req.method reflects the HTTP method of the current request, it updates each time a new request arrives, as shown in execution_table rows 1 to 4.

Is req.url the full website address?

No, req.url only contains the path and query part of the URL, not the domain or protocol, as seen in the logged values in execution_table.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is req.method at step 3?

A DELETE

B POST

C GET

D PUT

💡 Hint

Check the 'req.method' column at step 3 in the execution_table.

At which step does req.url equal '/submit'?

A Step 1

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look at the 'req.url' column in execution_table to find '/submit'.

If a new request with method PATCH and url '/edit' arrives, what will req.method and req.url be?

A req.method: GET, req.url: /edit

B req.method: PATCH, req.url: /home

C req.method: PATCH, req.url: /edit

D req.method: POST, req.url: /submit

💡 Hint

req.method and req.url always reflect the current request's method and URL.

Concept Snapshot

req.method and req.url in Express

- req.method: HTTP method of the request (GET, POST, etc.)
- req.url: URL path requested by client
- Use these to decide how to respond
- Changes with each incoming request
- Access inside middleware or route handlers

Full Transcript

In Express, when a client sends a request, the server receives it and creates a request object called req. This object has a property called method, which tells us the HTTP method used like GET or POST. It also has a property called url, which shows the path the client wants, like '/home' or '/submit'. By checking req.method and req.url, the server can decide what to do next. For example, it can log these values and send a response. Each new request updates these properties to match the new request's details.