Dart HTTP Routing

Introduction to Dart HTTP Routing

Dart HTTP routing is essential for creating web servers and APIs. It allows developers to define endpoints and handle HTTP requests effectively. In this guide, we will explore how to use the shelf_router package for setting up HTTP routes in Dart.

Setting Up Your Dart Project

Before we dive into routing, ensure your Dart environment is set up. You need to have dart and pub installed on your system.

Start by creating a new Dart project:

Next, add the shelf and shelf_router packages to your pubspec.yaml file:

Run pub get to install the new dependencies:

Creating a Simple HTTP Server

With the dependencies in place, let's create a simple HTTP server using shelf and shelf_router. The following is a basic example that sets up a server and defines a route.

Defining Routes with Shelf Router

Routes in shelf_router are defined using HTTP methods like get, post, put, and delete. Here's how to define more routes:

In this example, the server handles GET requests to /greet/<name> and POST requests to /data. The shelf_router package makes it simple to capture path parameters and handle different HTTP methods.

Conclusion

By using shelf_router, Dart developers can efficiently manage HTTP routes and create robust web servers. We covered how to set up a Dart project, install necessary packages, and define routes. In the next post, we'll look into handling JSON data in Dart applications.