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Routing

Route registration returns an updated handle — reassign after each get / post / … call.

HTTP methods

Section titled “HTTP methods”
Function Registers
get(app, path, h) GET
post(app, path, h) POST
put(app, path, h) PUT
delete(app, path, h) DELETE
patch(app, path, h) PATCH
all(app, path, h) GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH on the same path

Works on both server() handles and router() handles.

Express → vow-web-server

Section titled “Express → vow-web-server”

Express

const app = express();
app.get('/echo', (req, res) => res.send('ok'));
app.all('/probe', (req, res) => res.send('ok'));

vow-web-server

import vws from vow_web_server
import vow_web_server.request
import vow_web_server.response


fn any_method(_req: request.Request) -> response.Response {
    return vws.send("ok");
}


fn main(caps: Caps) -> int {
    let rt = vws.runtime(caps);
    var app = vws.server();
    app = vws.all(app, "/echo", any_method);
    return vws.serve(app, rt, 8787);
}

all registers five routes with the same handler — useful for catch-all endpoints or method-agnostic probes.

Path parameters

Section titled “Path parameters”

Use :name segments in the path pattern. The matched value is available via request.param(req, "name"):

Express

app.get('/users/:id', (req, res) => {
  res.json({ id: req.params.id });
});

vow-web-server

fn user_by_id(req: request.Request) -> response.Response {
    let id = vws.param(req, "id");
    return vws.json("{\"id\":\"" + id + "\"}");
}


var app = vws.server();
app = vws.get(app, "/users/:id", user_by_id);

Query strings use request.query(req, "key") — separate from path params.

Mount (sub-router)

Section titled “Mount (sub-router)”

Build a standalone router, attach middleware, register routes, then mount under a prefix:

Express

const api = express.Router();
api.get('/health', apiHealth);
api.get('/users/:id', userById);
app.use('/api/v1', api);

vow-web-server

var api = vws.router();
api = vws.get(api, "/health", api_health);
api = vws.get(api, "/users/:id", user_by_id);
app = vws.use_middleware(app, "/api/v1", api);

A request to GET /api/v1/users/42 dispatches to user_by_id with param(req, "id") == "42". Middleware registered on the sub-router applies under the mount prefix.

Nested mounts work the same way — mount a router onto another router:

var admin = vws.router();
admin = vws.get(admin, "/stats", stats);


var api = vws.router();
api = vws.get(api, "/users", list_users);
api = vws.use_middleware(api, "/admin", admin);


app = vws.use_middleware(app, "/api/v1", api);
// GET /api/v1/admin/stats → stats

See HTTP mounting tutorial and vow-examples/vow-web-server/mounted_api.vow.

404 and 405

Section titled “404 and 405”
Situation Status Body
No route or mount matches the path 404 {"error":"not found"}
Path matches a route but HTTP method does not 405 {"error":"method not allowed"}

Example: register only GET /health. A POST /health returns 405; GET /nope returns 404.

Unit-test status codes without network I/O:

assert vws.try_handle(app, "GET /health") == 200;
assert vws.try_handle(app, "POST /health") == 405;
assert vws.try_handle(app, "GET /nope") == 404;

Legacy router API

Section titled “Legacy router API”

v0.1/v0.2 names remain as deprecated aliases:

Legacy v0.3 preferred
app() server()
router_new() router()
router_get(r, path, h) get(r, path, h) on a router handle
mount(a, prefix, sub) use_middleware(a, prefix, router)
router_try_dispatch(r, raw) try_handle(app, raw)
serve_loop(r, cap, port) serve(app, rt, port)

Prefer the v0.3 handle API for middleware integration and Express-like ergonomics.

Next

Section titled “Next”