HTTP

Server scripts can call web services (a Discord webhook, a stats API, your own website) with Net.Fetch. It is part of the Net table and exists only on the server; client scripts have no HTTP access.

Available on: Server

Functions

Net.Fetch(url, options?, callback)

Sends an HTTP request to url and calls callback with the response once it is done.

The call doesn't wait. Net.Fetch returns right away and the request runs on another thread, so the server keeps ticking, firing events and syncing players while it is in flight. When the request finishes or fails, callback(result) is called on the main thread, from the server's update like timers. Code written after Net.Fetch runs before the answer arrives: put whatever needs the response inside the callback.

Details:

• The method is GET when options is omitted and POST when an options table is given without a method, even an empty one. Set method = "GET" explicitly if you pass options to a GET request.
• method is sent as given, so any method works ("PUT", "PATCH", "DELETE"...).
• Redirects are followed.
• HTTPS certificates are not verified, so don't rely on it to prove the identity of the server you talk to.
• Responses compressed with gzip or deflate are decompressed.
• The default timeout is 10 seconds.
• success only tells whether an HTTP response was received. A 404 or 500 answer is still success = true, so always check status as well.
• A failed request (bad URL, DNS failure, connection refused, timeout) logs Failed to fetch data from <url> in the server console and calls callback with success = false, status = 0 and an empty response.
• If the resource stops (or restarts) before the request finishes, callback is never called.
• An error raised inside callback is reported like any other script error.
• A missing callback, a callback that isn't a function, or options that aren't a table raise the Lua error Net.Fetch(url, [options], callback): callback must be a function and options a table.

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
url	string	the full URL, including http:// or https://. Query parameters go in the URL and must already be URL-encoded
options	table	optional, see below
callback	function	called once with the result table (see below) when the request is done

Options

Field	Type	Description
method	string	optional, the HTTP method. Default "POST" when options is given ("GET" without options)
body	string	optional, the request body. Encode tables first, e.g. with JSON.Stringify
content_type	string	optional, the Content-Type header, e.g. "application/json". contentType is accepted too
authorization	string	optional, the Authorization header value, e.g. "Bearer abc123"
accept	string	optional, the Accept header value
headers	table	optional, more headers as { ["Header-Name"] = "value" }. Only string keys with string values are used
timeout	integer	optional, the maximum time for the whole request, in seconds. Default 10

Returns nothing. The result goes to callback as a table:

Field	Type	Description
success	boolean	true when a response was received, whatever its status
status	integer	the HTTP status code (200, 404...), 0 when the request failed
response	string	the response body, an empty string when the request failed

Example

-- server: read a JSON API
Net.Fetch("https://api.example.com/v1/motd", {
	method = "GET",
	accept = "application/json",
	timeout = 3,
}, function(result)
	if result.success and result.status == 200 then
		local data = JSON.Parse(result.response)

		if data and data.message then
			Chat.Broadcast("Message of the day: " .. data.message)
		end
	else
		print("motd request failed, status " .. result.status)
	end
end)

-- server: post a message to a Discord webhook when a player joins
local WEBHOOK = "https://discord.com/api/webhooks/<id>/<token>"

Event.Add("OnPlayerJoin", function(client)
	Net.Fetch(WEBHOOK, {
		body = JSON.Stringify({ content = client:GetName() .. " joined the server" }),
		content_type = "application/json",
		timeout = 2,
	}, function(result)
		if result.status ~= 204 and result.status ~= 200 then
			print("webhook failed: " .. result.status .. " " .. result.response)
		end
	end)
end)

-- server: custom headers and another method
Net.Fetch("https://api.example.com/v1/players/76561198000000000", {
	method = "DELETE",
	headers = {
		["X-Api-Key"] = "my-key",
		["X-Server"] = "jc4mp",
	},
	timeout = 5,
}, function(result)
	print(result.status)
end)

-- server: a GET without options; the player may have left by the time the answer arrives
Event.Add("OnPlayerJoin", function(client)
	Net.Fetch("https://api.example.com/v1/banned?steam_id=" .. client:GetUserId(), function(result)
		-- Kick does nothing if the player has already disconnected
		if result.status == 200 and result.response == "true" then
			client:Kick("Banned on the community website")
		end
	end)
end)