How Should My Server Handle Empty Query Parameters?

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Asked By CuriousCoder92 On

I'm working on a backend using the Golang Gin web framework and I've encountered a question about query parameters. For instance, I have a URL like `/test?q=`. Should the server ignore the `q` parameter completely, or treat it as an empty string?

Here's a snippet of my backend code:

```go
package main

import (
"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
"log"
"net/http"
)

func apiRouteHandler(c *gin.Context) {
var order = c.DefaultQuery("order", "asc") // assigns default if empty
var orderBy = c.DefaultQuery("orderBy", "id") // same here
work(order, orderBy) // business logic...
c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{"success": true}) // respond
}

func work(order string, orderBy string) {
if order == "" || orderBy == "" {
log.Println("order or order_by is empty") // oops
return
}
// do something...
}

func main() {
var g = gin.Default()
g.GET("/test", apiRouteHandler)
g.Run(":8080")
}
```

When I hit the endpoint with `/test`, both `order` and `orderBy` get assigned default values. However, if I request `/test?order=&orderBy=`, these variables are assigned empty strings, throwing an error in my log. Similarly, requesting `/something?order=&orderBy=` results in a 400 error on the server. Should I modify the server to ignore empty query parameters completely, or is it better not to send them at all?

Thanks for your insights!

3 Answers

Answered By DevThoughts On

I think treating empty query parameters as valid and logical is the way to go. If the client really wants the default values, they shouldn't specify those parameters at all. Just treat them as empty strings when they come in and handle them accordingly.

Answered By TechieTina On

In my opinion, doing something like `?foo` should mean "foo": null, while `?foo=` translates to "foo": "". It's like you have a tri-state here. But in your case, it seems like calling `c.DefaultQuery` doesn't apply defaults if the parameter is explicitly set to an empty string. You might want to validate input, requiring specific values for `order`, like "asc" or "desc", and defaulting anything else.

Answered By CodeGuru77 On

Right! It's actually cool that you can send query parameters without the equal sign! But yeah, proper input validation is crucial to prevent unintended behavior. If a user sends something like `order=RAND()`, it could potentially break things.

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