# expressjs/body-parser

Node.js body parsing middleware

Repository: https://github.com/expressjs/body-parser
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/body-parser
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: javascript, middleware, expressjs, nodejs, json, urlencoded, body, parser
Last push: 2026-08-22T20:08:59+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 93/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 80, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4622, "days_push": 11, "days_rel": 55, "gap_med": 44, "n_releases_24m": 12}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5500, forks 763 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:21.551778+00:00)

## What it is
Node.js body parsing middleware for Express and Connect that parses incoming HTTP request bodies and populates req.body. It provides JSON, raw, text, and URL-encoded form parsers with automatic gzip, brotli, deflate, and zstd inflation.

## Use cases
- parse json request bodies in express
- handle urlencoded form submissions in node.js
- populate req.body from http requests
- decompress gzip request bodies in express middleware
- parse raw or text request bodies in node.js

## When to choose
- you use Express or Connect and need to parse JSON or URL-encoded request bodies
- you need automatic decompression of compressed request bodies
- you want a battle-tested, standard body parsing middleware

## When to avoid
- you need multipart/form-data or file uploads - use multer or busboy instead
- you use a framework that already includes body parsing
- you are not on a Node.js HTTP server stack

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: middleware, parser, http-server, serialization
- domain: web-development, backend, apis
- platform: -
- tags: express, body-parsing, json, urlencoded, request-body, http, nodejs, javascript

## Member repositories
- expressjs/body-parser (main) score 93

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:21.551778+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:56:18.421539+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/expressjs/body-parser (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:21.551778+00:00, sha 8e1966bf04cd)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/body-parser (fetched 2026-08-29T08:51:35.598644+00:00, sha 5ad5ad840255)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.