Response Types

This page documents the various response types supported by the Response class and how to create them. The Hypervel HTTP library provides dedicated methods for creating plain text, JSON, HTML views, file downloads, and no-content responses, each with automatic content-type handling and header management.

For information about streaming responses and HTTP range requests, see Streaming & Range Requests. For API response formatting with JSON resources, see JSON Resources. For the underlying Response class architecture and status codes, see Response Object & Contract.

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Response Type Categories

The Response class provides five primary response creation methods, each optimized for a specific content type:

Sources: src/Response.php162-255 src/Contracts/ResponseContract.php14-39

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Plain Text and Mixed Content Responses

The make() method is the general-purpose response creation method that intelligently determines the appropriate content type based on the input data.

Method Signature

make(mixed $content = '', int $status = 200, array $headers = []): ResponseInterface

Content Type Detection Logic

The make() method applies the following logic to determine content type:

Input Type	Content-Type Header	Behavior
Array or Arrayable	application/json	Encodes to JSON using Json::encode()
Jsonable object	application/json	Calls object's __toString() method
Any other type	text/plain	Converts to string
Pre-set Content-Type header	Uses existing header	Converts content to string

Implementation Details

Usage Examples

Plain text response:

Array automatically converted to JSON:

Using custom headers:

Sources: src/Response.php162-184 src/Contracts/ResponseContract.php14-17

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JSON Responses

The json() method explicitly creates JSON responses with the application/json content type. It extends the parent Hyperf response's json() method with additional header and status code support.

Method Signature

json($data, int $status = 200, array $headers = []): ResponseInterface

Accepted Data Types

The json() method accepts:

• Plain arrays
• Objects implementing Hyperf\Contract\Arrayable
• Objects implementing Hyperf\Contract\Jsonable

Comparison: make() vs json()

Feature	make()	json()
Intent	General purpose, auto-detects	Explicitly JSON
Content-Type	Auto-detected	Always application/json
Non-JSON input	Converts to text/plain	Attempts JSON encoding
Use case	Flexible response creation	API endpoints with guaranteed JSON

Implementation

The implementation delegates to the parent HyperfResponse::json() method and then applies custom headers and status code:

src/Response.php220-228

Sources: src/Response.php220-228 src/Contracts/ResponseContract.php29-34

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View/HTML Responses

The view() method renders HTML templates using Hyperf's view system and returns an HTTP response with the rendered content.

Method Signature

view(string $view, array $data = [], int $status = 200, array $headers = []): ResponseInterface

Integration with Hyperf View System

Parameters

• $view: Template name/path (resolved by view system)
• $data: Associative array passed to template as variables
• $status: HTTP status code (default: 200)
• $headers: Additional headers to apply

Dependencies

The view() method requires:

• Hyperf\View\RenderInterface to be registered in the DI container
• A configured view engine (Blade, Twig, Plates, etc.)

Sources: src/Response.php202-213 src/Contracts/ResponseContract.php24-27

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File Responses

The file() method serves file content with automatic MIME type detection and proper headers.

Method Signature

file(string $path, array $headers = []): ResponseInterface

File Response Flow

MIME Type Detection

The MIME type resolution follows this priority:

1. Explicit Content-Type in headers - Used if provided (case-insensitive match)
2. File extension lookup - Uses MimeTypeExtensionGuesser to determine MIME type
3. Default fallback - application/octet-stream if type cannot be determined

Error Handling

The method throws FileNotFoundException if the file path:

• Does not exist on the filesystem
• Is a directory (not a regular file)

Usage Example

Sources: src/Response.php233-255 src/Contracts/ResponseContract.php37-39

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No Content Responses

The noContent() method creates responses with no body content, typically used for successful operations that don't need to return data (e.g., DELETE operations, OPTIONS requests).

Method Signature

noContent(int $status = 204, array $headers = []): ResponseInterface

HTTP Status Codes for No Content

While the default status is 204 (No Content), other valid no-content status codes include:

Status Code	Constant	Use Case
204	Response::HTTP_NO_CONTENT	Successful DELETE, PUT with no return
205	Response::HTTP_RESET_CONTENT	Reset form/view state
304	Response::HTTP_NOT_MODIFIED	Cached resource still valid

Implementation

The implementation is straightforward - it creates a response with the specified status code and headers but no body content:

src/Response.php189-197

Usage Patterns

DELETE operation:

Conditional response (cache validation):

Sources: src/Response.php189-197 src/Contracts/ResponseContract.php19-22

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Response Type Selection Guide

Use this decision tree to select the appropriate response method:

Method Selection Summary

Method	Primary Use Case	Content-Type	Status Default
make()	Flexible responses with auto-detection	Auto-detected	200
json()	Guaranteed JSON API responses	application/json	200
view()	Server-rendered HTML pages	text/html	200
file()	Serving static files	Auto-detected from extension	200
noContent()	Success with no return data	None	204

Sources: src/Response.php162-255 src/Contracts/ResponseContract.php12-77

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Common Headers Across Response Types

All response creation methods accept an optional $headers array parameter. Headers are applied consistently:

Header Application Pattern

Frequently Used Headers

Sources: src/Response.php162-255