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The Response class provides methods for sending HTTP responses, setting headers, cookies, and managing response data.

​
Importing

import { HttpContext } from '@adonisjs/core/http'

export default class UsersController {
  async index({ response }: HttpContext) {
    // Access response
  }
}

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Properties

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finished
boolean
Whether the response has been sent
​
isPending
boolean
Whether the response is pending
​
headersSent
boolean
Whether headers have been sent

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Sending Responses

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send()

Send a response body. 
response.send('Hello World')
response.send({ message: 'Success' })
response.send(Buffer.from('data'))
​
body
any
Response body (string, object, buffer, stream)
Returns: void

​
json()

Send a JSON response. 
response.json({ 
  users: [],
  meta: { total: 0 }
})
​
body
any
Data to serialize as JSON
Returns: void

​
jsonp()

Send a JSONP response. 
response.jsonp({ data: [] })
​
body
any
Data to serialize as JSONP
​
callbackName
string
default:"'callback'"
JSONP callback function name
Returns: void

​
stream()

Stream a response. 
const fileStream = fs.createReadStream('video.mp4')
response.stream(fileStream)
​
stream
ReadableStream
Readable stream to pipe
Returns: void

​
download()

Download a file. 
response.download('storage/invoices/invoice-123.pdf')
​
filePath
string
Path to the file
​
fileName
string
Optional filename for download
Returns: void

​
attachment()

Download a file with a custom name. 
response.attachment(
  'storage/reports/report-2024.pdf',
  'Annual Report.pdf'
)
​
filePath
string
Path to the file
​
fileName
string
Filename for download
Returns: void

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Status Codes

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status()

Set the response status code. 
response.status(201).json({ created: true })
​
code
number
HTTP status code
Returns: this

​
getStatus()

Get the current status code. 
const status = response.getStatus()
Returns: number

​
safeStatus()

Set status code if not already set. 
response.safeStatus(200)
​
code
number
HTTP status code
Returns: this

​
Status Helpers

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ok()

Send a 200 OK response. 
response.ok({ message: 'Success' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
created()

Send a 201 Created response. 
response.created({ user })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
accepted()

Send a 202 Accepted response. 
response.accepted({ jobId: '123' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
noContent()

Send a 204 No Content response. 
response.noContent()
Returns: void

​
badRequest()

Send a 400 Bad Request response. 
response.badRequest({ error: 'Invalid input' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
unauthorized()

Send a 401 Unauthorized response. 
response.unauthorized({ error: 'Not authenticated' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
forbidden()

Send a 403 Forbidden response. 
response.forbidden({ error: 'Access denied' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
notFound()

Send a 404 Not Found response. 
response.notFound({ error: 'User not found' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
methodNotAllowed()

Send a 405 Method Not Allowed response. 
response.methodNotAllowed({ error: 'Method not supported' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
conflict()

Send a 409 Conflict response. 
response.conflict({ error: 'Email already exists' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
unprocessableEntity()

Send a 422 Unprocessable Entity response. 
response.unprocessableEntity({ errors: validationErrors })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

​
internalServerError()

Send a 500 Internal Server Error response. 
response.internalServerError({ error: 'Something went wrong' })
​
body
any
Response body
Returns: void

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Redirects

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redirect()

Redirect to a URL. 
response.redirect('/login')
response.redirect('https://example.com')
response.redirect().back()
​
url
string
URL to redirect to
​
statusCode
number
default:"302"
HTTP status code for redirect
Returns: void

​
redirectToRoute()

Redirect to a named route. 
response.redirectToRoute('users.show', { id: 1 })
​
routeName
string
Name of the route
​
params
object
Route parameters
​
options
object
Additional options (qs, domain)
Returns: void

​
back()

Redirect back to the previous URL. 
response.redirect().back()
Returns: void

​
withQs()

Add query string to redirect. 
response.redirect('/search').withQs({ q: 'adonisjs' })
​
queryString
object
Query string parameters
Returns: this

​
clearQs()

Clear query string from redirect. 
response.redirect().back().clearQs()
Returns: this

​
Headers

Set a response header. 
response.header('X-Custom-Header', 'value')
​
key
string
Header name
​
value
string
Header value
Returns: this

​
append()

Append a value to a header. 
response.append('Set-Cookie', 'session=abc')
​
key
string
Header name
​
value
string
Header value
Returns: this

​
removeHeader()

Remove a response header. 
response.removeHeader('X-Powered-By')
​
key
string
Header name
Returns: this

​
getHeader()

Get a response header value. 
const contentType = response.getHeader('Content-Type')
​
key
string
Header name
Returns: string | string[] | undefined

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Content Type

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type()

Set the Content-Type header. 
response.type('application/json')
response.type('html')
response.type('pdf')
​
type
string
Content type or file extension
​
charset
string
Optional character set
Returns: this

​
vary()

Set the Vary header. 
response.vary('Accept-Encoding')
​
field
string
Header field name
Returns: this

​
Cookies

Set a signed cookie. 
response.cookie('session_id', '123', {
  maxAge: 3600,
  httpOnly: true
})
​
key
string
Cookie name
​
value
any
Cookie value
​
options
CookieOptions
Cookie options
  • maxAge: Max age in seconds
  • httpOnly: HTTP only flag
  • secure: Secure flag
  • sameSite: SameSite policy
  • path: Cookie path
  • domain: Cookie domain
Returns: this

​
plainCookie()

Set a plain (unsigned) cookie. 
response.plainCookie('tracking_id', 'xyz')
​
key
string
Cookie name
​
value
any
Cookie value
​
options
CookieOptions
Cookie options
Returns: this

​
encryptedCookie()

Set an encrypted cookie. 
response.encryptedCookie('sensitive_data', secretValue)
​
key
string
Cookie name
​
value
any
Cookie value
​
options
CookieOptions
Cookie options
Returns: this

​
clearCookie()

Clear a cookie. 
response.clearCookie('session_id')
​
key
string
Cookie name
Returns: this

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Caching

​
fresh()

Check if the response should be fresh. 
if (response.fresh()) {
  response.notModified()
}
Returns: boolean

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etag()

Set the ETag header. 
response.etag('content-hash')
​
etag
string
ETag value
​
weak
boolean
default:"false"
Use weak ETag
Returns: this

​
notModified()

Send a 304 Not Modified response. 
response.notModified()
Returns: void

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Example Usage

import { HttpContext } from '@adonisjs/core/http'

export default class UsersController {
  async index({ response }: HttpContext) {
    const users = await User.all()
    
    // JSON response
    return response.json({
      data: users,
      meta: { total: users.length }
    })
  }
  
  async store({ request, response }: HttpContext) {
    const user = await User.create(request.all())
    
    // Created response with location header
    return response
      .status(201)
      .header('Location', `/users/${user.id}`)
      .json({ user })
  }
  
  async download({ response }: HttpContext) {
    // File download
    return response.download('storage/reports/report.pdf')
  }
  
  async redirect({ response }: HttpContext) {
    // Redirect with flash message
    return response
      .redirect()
      .withQs({ success: 'User created' })
      .toRoute('users.index')
  }
}