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InversifyExpressHttpAdapter (Express 5)

The Express 5 HTTP adapter implementation. This adapter allows you to use InversifyJS framework with Express v5.x applications, which includes native Promise support and other modern features.

Base class documentation

This adapter extends InversifyHttpAdapter. See the base class documentation for information about common methods like applyGlobalMiddleware, useGlobalFilters, applyGlobalGuards, useGlobalInterceptors, and useGlobalPipe.

Installation​

npm install @inversifyjs/http-express express inversify reflect-metadata

Constructor​

constructor(
  container: Container,
  httpAdapterOptions?: ExpressHttpAdapterOptions,
  customApp?: Application,
)

Creates an Express 5 adapter instance.

Parameters​

  • container: The Inversify container that holds controllers, guards, pipes, middleware, interceptors, and filters.
  • httpAdapterOptions (optional): Configuration options for the adapter. See Options below.
  • customApp (optional): A custom Express 5 application instance. If not provided, a default Express application is created.

Default Options​

The adapter uses these defaults if not overridden:

{
  logger: true,
  useCookies: false,
  useJson: true,
  useText: false,
  useUrlEncoded: false,
}

Methods​

build​

async build(): Promise<Application>

Builds and returns the Express 5 application with all configured routes, middleware, and handlers.

Returns: The Express 5 Application instance ready to be used with app.listen() or passed to http.createServer().

Options​

ExpressHttpAdapterOptions​

interface ExpressHttpAdapterOptions extends HttpAdapterOptions {
  useCookies?: boolean;
  useJson?: boolean;
  useText?: boolean;
  useUrlEncoded?: boolean;
}

Properties​

  • logger (inherited): Set to true to log route mappings on build, or false to disable logging, or provide a custom logger implementing the Logger interface from @inversifyjs/logger.
  • useCookies: Enable cookie parsing middleware. Default: false
  • useJson: Enable JSON body parsing middleware. Default: true
  • useText: Enable text body parsing middleware. Default: false
  • useUrlEncoded: Enable URL-encoded body parsing middleware. Default: false

Usage Example​

const container: Container = new Container();
// ... bind your controllers, services, etc.

// Create the adapter with options
const adapter: InversifyExpressHttpAdapter = new InversifyExpressHttpAdapter(
  container,
  {
    logger: true,
    useCookies: true,
    useJson: true,
    useUrlEncoded: true,
  },
);

// Build the Express 5 application
const app: express.Application = await adapter.build();

// Start the server
app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server listening on port 3000');
});

Express 5 Features​

Express 5 includes several improvements over Express 4:

  • Native Promise support in middleware and route handlers
  • Improved error handling for rejected promises
  • Updated dependencies and security improvements
  • Better TypeScript support

The InversifyJS adapter automatically supports these features, including proper async/await error handling.

Type Parameters​

The adapter is strongly typed with Express 5 types:

InversifyExpressHttpAdapter extends InversifyHttpAdapter<
  Request,           // Express 5 Request
  Response,          // Express 5 Response
  NextFunction,      // Express 5 NextFunction
  void,              // Handler return type
  ExpressHttpAdapterOptions
>

See Also​