Skip to content

Inbound HTTP Request

Description

Inbound HTTP Request is a source node that exposes the request payload from an HTTP-listener-driven pipeline run to the Workspace graph.

Use Inbound HTTP Request when a pipeline starts from an incoming HTTP request and downstream nodes need access to the request body, query string, headers, or a structured copy of the full request.

This page documents the node configuration only. Listener setup, endpoint routing, authentication rules, and external caller configuration are handled outside this node.

Field reference

Field Description
Output part Optional. Selects which part of the inbound request is published downstream. Supported values are body, body_text, query, headers, and full_request. Defaults to body.
Output format Optional. Metadata format for downstream consumers. Supported values are auto, json, xml, and text. Defaults to auto. When set to auto, SchemAlign follows the request body format when possible. Query, headers, and full request output default to JSON metadata.
Stream filename Optional. Filename metadata for the in-memory stream handoff. Defaults to inbound_request.json when left blank. If the field is blank at runtime, SchemAlign derives an extension from the resolved output format.
Also publish artifact copy Optional. When enabled, SchemAlign writes a durable artifact copy of the selected request data in addition to the normal stream handoff. Defaults to off.
Keep artifact history Optional. When artifact publishing is enabled, controls whether prior artifact versions are retained. Defaults to on.

When to use Inbound HTTP Request

Use this node when the pipeline should:

  • accept an incoming request payload as the source data for the run
  • pass request body content to a compose node for loading or transformation
  • inspect request query parameters or headers as downstream input
  • pair with an HTTP Response destination to return a response after processing
  • optionally retain a durable artifact copy of the selected request data

Inbound HTTP Request is a source node. It normally appears at the beginning of a request-driven pipeline branch.

Common pipeline patterns

Pattern Use case
Inbound HTTP Request -> SQL Transform -> HTTP Response Read an inbound request, shape a response payload, and return it to the caller.
Inbound HTTP Request -> SQL Loader -> SQL Transform Load request content into SQL-accessible working data, then transform it.
Inbound HTTP Request -> SQL Transform -> File Put Process request content and write a resulting file to a configured destination.
Inbound HTTP Request -> HTTP Response Return selected or lightly processed request content from a request-driven pipeline.

Output part behavior

Output part Published value
body The parsed request body when one is available.
body_text The raw request body text.
query The request query parameters as a JSON-compatible object.
headers The request headers as a JSON-compatible object.
full_request A structured object containing body, raw body text, query, headers, method, content type, request ID, received time, and body format metadata.

Format handling

When Output format is set to auto, the node uses the inbound request body format when possible. If the selected output part is query, headers, or full_request, the node uses JSON metadata by default.

Resolved format Stream MIME type
json application/json
xml application/xml
text text/plain

If the configured format is not supported, the node falls back to JSON.

Output and artifact behavior

Inbound HTTP Request always publishes a stream handoff for downstream connected nodes.

Output Description
Stream packet The normal downstream handoff containing the selected request data, resolved format, MIME type, filename, and graph metadata.
Artifact copy Optional durable copy created only when Also publish artifact copy is enabled.
Run output metadata Includes the original request object, the selected output value, stream metadata, and optional artifact metadata.
Runtime state Records request ID, trigger ID, trigger slug, method, body format, selected output part, and resolved format for the run.

This node does not write directly to database tables. Use a downstream SQL Loader or SQL Transform when request data should be loaded, shaped, or queried.

Expressions and placeholders

Inbound HTTP Request does not currently expose expression-enabled configuration fields in the node schema.

The selected request data becomes downstream runtime input after the node runs. Downstream nodes should consume the stream handoff, artifact copy, or transformed outputs based on the pipeline design.

Validation and common errors

Message or condition What it means How to fix it
Inbound HTTP Request can only run from an HTTP Listener trigger. No inbound request context was provided for this pipeline run. The node was executed without inbound request context. Use this node only in a request-driven pipeline run that provides inbound request data.
Output part is blank or unsupported The configured output part is missing or not one of the supported values. Select body, body_text, query, headers, or full_request. Unsupported values fall back to body.
Output format is blank or unsupported The configured output format is missing or not one of the supported values. Select auto, json, xml, or text. Unsupported resolved values fall back to JSON.
Stream filename is blank No filename metadata was provided. Leave blank to let SchemAlign derive a filename, or enter a stable filename such as inbound_request.json.
Artifact copy is missing Also publish artifact copy is disabled. Enable artifact publishing only when a durable copy of the selected request data should be retained.

Security notes

  • Treat request bodies, headers, and query parameters as potentially sensitive runtime data.
  • Avoid publishing artifact copies unless the selected request data should be retained after the run.
  • Prefer body or body_text when downstream logic only needs the payload, rather than publishing the full request.
  • Use full_request only when downstream processing needs request metadata such as method, content type, or request identifiers.
  • Do not use this node as a database-loading shortcut. Keep data loading and transformation in downstream compose nodes.