http: add optimizeEmptyRequests server option

Signed-off-by: RafaelGSS <rafael.nunu@hotmail.com>
Co-Authored-By: RafaelGSS <rafael.nunu@hotmail.com>

Author: ronag

doc/api/http.md

@@ -3537,6 +3537,9 @@ Found'`.
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.1.13
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/59778
+    description: Add optimizeEmptyRequests option.
   - version:
     - v20.1.0
     - v18.17.0
@@ -3632,6 +3635,12 @@ changes:
   * `rejectNonStandardBodyWrites` {boolean} If set to `true`, an error is thrown
     when writing to an HTTP response which does not have a body.
     **Default:** `false`.
+  * `optimizeEmptyRequests` {boolean} If set to `true`, requests without `Content-Length`
+    or `Transfer-Encoding` headers (indicating no body) will have their lifecycle events
+    immediately emitted. For `HEAD` and `GET` requests, this optimization is applied
+    regardless of headers. This improves performance for requests without bodies
+    across all HTTP methods.
+    **Default:** `false`.
 
 * `requestListener` {Function}
 

lib/_http_server.js

@@ -106,6 +106,8 @@ const onResponseFinishChannel = dc.channel('http.server.response.finish');
 const kServerResponse = Symbol('ServerResponse');
 const kServerResponseStatistics = Symbol('ServerResponseStatistics');
 
+const kOptimizeEmptyRequests = Symbol('OptimizeEmptyRequestsOption');
+
 const {
   hasObserver,
   startPerf,
@@ -452,6 +454,11 @@ function storeHTTPOptions(options) {
     validateInteger(maxHeaderSize, 'maxHeaderSize', 0);
   this.maxHeaderSize = maxHeaderSize;
 
+  const optimizeEmptyRequests = options.optimizeEmptyRequests;
+  if (optimizeEmptyRequests !== undefined)
+    validateBoolean(optimizeEmptyRequests, 'options.optimizeEmptyRequests');
+  this[kOptimizeEmptyRequests] = optimizeEmptyRequests || false;
+
   const insecureHTTPParser = options.insecureHTTPParser;
   if (insecureHTTPParser !== undefined)
     validateBoolean(insecureHTTPParser, 'options.insecureHTTPParser');
@@ -1102,6 +1109,29 @@ function parserOnIncoming(server, socket, state, req, keepAlive) {
     });
   }
 
+  // Check if we should optimize empty requests (those without Content-Length or Transfer-Encoding headers)
+  const hasBodyHeaders = ('content-length' in req.headers) || ('transfer-encoding' in req.headers);
+  const isHeadOrGet = (req.method === 'HEAD' || req.method === 'GET');
+
+  // Apply optimization for all methods when optimizeEmptyRequests is enabled and there are no body headers
+  // For HEAD and GET methods, we optimize regardless of body headers for backward compatibility
+  const shouldOptimize = server[kOptimizeEmptyRequests] === true && (isHeadOrGet || !hasBodyHeaders);
+
+  if (shouldOptimize) {
+    // Fast processing where request "has" already emitted all lifecycle events.
+    // This avoids a lot of unnecessary overhead otherwise introduced by
+    // stream.Readable life cycle rules. The downside is that this will
+    // break some servers that read bodies for methods that don't have body headers.
+    req._dumped = true;
+    req._readableState.ended = true;
+    req._readableState.endEmitted = true;
+    req._readableState.destroyed = true;
+    req._readableState.closed = true;
+    req._readableState.closeEmitted = true;
+
+    req._read();
+  }
+
   if (socket._httpMessage) {
     // There are already pending outgoing res, append.
     state.outgoing.push(res);

test/parallel/test-http-chunk-extensions-limit.js

@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ const assert = require('assert');
     }));
 
     sock.end('' +
-      'GET / HTTP/1.1\r\n' +
+      'PUT / HTTP/1.1\r\n' +
       `Host: localhost:${port}\r\n` +
       'Transfer-Encoding: chunked\r\n\r\n' +
       '2;' + 'A'.repeat(10000) + '=bar\r\nAA\r\n' +

test/parallel/test-http-server-optimize-empty-requests.js

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+const http = require('http');
+const net = require('net');
+
+let reqs = 0;
+const server = http.createServer({
+  optimizeEmptyRequests: true
+}, (req, res) => {
+  reqs++;
+  assert.strictEqual(req._dumped, true);
+  assert.strictEqual(req._readableState.ended, true);
+  assert.strictEqual(req._readableState.endEmitted, true);
+  assert.strictEqual(req._readableState.destroyed, true);
+
+  res.writeHead(200);
+  res.end('ok');
+});
+
+server.listen(0, common.mustCall(async () => {
+  // GET request without Content-Length (should be optimized)
+  const getRequest = 'GET / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: localhost\r\n\r\n';
+  await makeRequest(getRequest);
+
+  // HEAD request (should always be optimized regardless of headers)
+  const headRequest = 'HEAD / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: localhost\r\n\r\n';
+  await makeRequest(headRequest);
+
+  // POST request without body headers (should be optimized)
+  const postWithoutBodyHeaders = 'POST / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: localhost\r\n\r\n';
+  await makeRequest(postWithoutBodyHeaders);
+
+  // DELETE request without body headers (should be optimized)
+  const deleteWithoutBodyHeaders = 'DELETE / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: localhost\r\n\r\n';
+  await makeRequest(deleteWithoutBodyHeaders);
+  server.close();
+
+  assert.strictEqual(reqs, 4);
+}));
+
+function makeRequest(str) {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    const client = net.connect({ port: server.address().port }, common.mustCall(() => {
+      client.on('data', common.mustCall());
+      client.on('end', common.mustCall(() => {
+        resolve();
+      }));
+      client.write(str);
+      client.end();
+    }));
+  });
+}

test/parallel/test-http.js

@@ -52,12 +52,18 @@ const server = http.Server(common.mustCall((req, res) => {
   if (expectedRequests.length === 0)
     server.close();
 
-  req.on('end', () => {
+  if (req.readableEnded) {
     res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
     res.write(`The path was ${url.parse(req.url).pathname}`);
     res.end();
-  });
-  req.resume();
+  } else {
+    req.on('end', () => {
+      res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
+      res.write(`The path was ${url.parse(req.url).pathname}`);
+      res.end();
+    });
+    req.resume();
+  }
 }, 3));
 server.listen(0);