Allowing access to an endpoint under a condition?

[Anton.S.]

Hello, first time posting here.

I'm a javascript and node.js newbie and would like to ask for advice.

I'm making a node server which will accept requests from a chrome extension and a certain HTTP client.

I want the server to accept requests from the extension but only under a certain condition.

What I had in mind was to use the HTTP client to send a POST request to start or stop receiving requests from the extension.

Here is what I came up with:

const express = require('express');

const app = express();

process.env.MYTOGGLE = false;

app.post('/start', function (req, res){

// HTTP client lets the server accept requests

process.env.MYTOGGLE = true;

res.send('Accepting requests from extension...');

});

app.post('/request', function (req, res){

// extension requests go here

if(!process.env.MYTOGGLE){

res.send('404 Not Found');

} else {

res.send('Thanks for the data!');

}

});

app.post('/stop', function (req, res){

// HTTP client changes the condition and requests to /request give '404 Not Found'

process.env.MYTOGGLE = false;

res.send('Not accepting requests anymore!');

});

app.listen(3000);

I've used environment variables as a demonstration to what I want to achieve in the end. 

Is there something I can use in order to store that 'toggle' variable on the server side and give the server access to it while it's running?

Or am I going about this the wrong way?

Much appreciated,

Anton

[Warner Onstine]

It depends on what you are toggling honestly. You could do this with environment variables, but those are only set once you deploy your app somewhere, or require a restart of the service to read them in again. Or you could set that elsewhere like a database. It really depends on what the condition of toggling on/off is as to what would determine that.

For me if it were something that I had to restart it really means it's a variable changed infrequently. From what you're saying I would stick it in the db for application config variables or something.

-warner

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[Zlatko]

Like Warner has said, take a database. Something like redis, in this case. Or even a free hosted offering, if it is not mission critical. Or get a firebase client. In any case, some external persistent way of storing and retreiving this.

As an aside, it would probably be better to make checking and manipulating this a middleware. Extract your actual "business logic" to a separate file, and put your MY_TOGGLE check in a middleware. It enables you to easier test, or e.g. later change the mechanism, or where you store the toggle or similar.

Something like this:

const app = express();
const { getToggleState, flipToggleState } from './toggle-manager';
app.use('/requests', async function (req, res, next) {
     const isToggleOn = await getToggleState();
     if (isToggleOn) {
        next();
    } else {
        res.status(403).end('Forbidden');
    }
});

app.use('/requests', yourRegularHandler);

app.post('/stop', (req, res) => {
    flipToggleState();
    res.end('Ok');
});

[Warner Onstine]

Oooh, I like the middleware option, good call!

-warner

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