How to solve nestjs fastify error TypeError: response.status(...).json is not a function

2 min read 05-10-2024
How to solve nestjs fastify error TypeError: response.status(...).json is not a function


Unraveling the "TypeError: response.status(...).json is not a function" Error in NestJS with Fastify

Problem:

Ever encountered the frustrating "TypeError: response.status(...).json is not a function" while developing your NestJS application with Fastify? This error often signifies a misconfiguration or misunderstanding in how Fastify handles responses.

Scenario:

Imagine you're building a RESTful API using NestJS with Fastify as your underlying HTTP server. Your controller logic might look something like this:

import { Controller, Get, Res } from '@nestjs/common';
import { Response } from 'express'; // Or similar from Fastify

@Controller('users')
export class UsersController {
  @Get()
  async getUsers(@Res() res: Response) {
    const users = await this.userService.findAll();
    res.status(200).json(users); // Error occurs here!
  }
}

Running your application, you might get hit with the dreaded error message: "TypeError: response.status(...).json is not a function".

Analysis:

The error occurs because Fastify, unlike Express, doesn't have a built-in json() function on the response object. Instead, Fastify utilizes its own methods for sending JSON responses.

Clarification:

Fastify provides a more streamlined way to handle responses:

  1. reply object: Fastify exposes a reply object within your route handlers. This reply object contains methods for sending different response types.
  2. send method: To send a JSON response, you simply use the send method on the reply object, passing the data as an argument.

Solution:

Modify your controller code to leverage Fastify's response handling:

import { Controller, Get } from '@nestjs/common';
import { FastifyReply } from 'fastify'; // Import Fastify's Reply interface

@Controller('users')
export class UsersController {
  @Get()
  async getUsers(@FastifyReply() reply: FastifyReply) {
    const users = await this.userService.findAll();
    reply.send(users); 
  }
}

Additional Value:

  • Benefits of Fastify: Fastify is renowned for its speed and performance, making it a strong choice for building high-throughput APIs.
  • Error Handling: Fastify provides a robust error handling system. You can customize error handling logic to send detailed error responses to your clients.

References and Resources:

Conclusion:

The "TypeError: response.status(...).json is not a function" error in NestJS with Fastify arises from using Express-style response methods with Fastify. Understanding Fastify's response mechanism and leveraging the reply object for sending JSON data will ensure smooth API development and eliminate this error.