From a060617372fa9cf4b86ce4cc0ebe77c7a7ba734c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ralf Lang <ralf.lang@ralf-lang.de>
Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2026 22:48:45 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] docs: document PSR-7 request body handling patterns

Add comprehensive documentation explaining the php://input non-seekable
stream issue and how to properly handle request bodies in PSR-7
applications.

Covers:
- Why php://input can only be read once
- The PSR-7 solution: getParsedBody()
- How to use JsonBodyParser middleware
- Best practices for body handling
- Rejected alternatives and rationale

This is a fundamental PSR-7 pattern that applies to all PHP
frameworks, not specific to Horde.
---
 doc/REQUEST_BODY_HANDLING.md | 129 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 129 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 doc/REQUEST_BODY_HANDLING.md

diff --git a/doc/REQUEST_BODY_HANDLING.md b/doc/REQUEST_BODY_HANDLING.md
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+# Request Body Handling and the php://input Issue
+
+## The Problem
+
+PHP's `php://input` stream is **non-seekable**, meaning it can only be read once. This is a fundamental limitation of PHP, not specific to Horde or PSR-7.
+
+When Horde\Http\Server\RequestBuilder creates a ServerRequest, it wraps `php://input` in a Stream object. Once you call `$request->getBody()->__toString()` or cast the body to a string, the stream position reaches EOF and cannot be rewound.
+
+This affects:
+- Controllers that need to read the body multiple times
+- Middleware chains where multiple middlewares inspect the body
+- Debugging scenarios where you want to log the raw body
+
+## The PSR-7 Solution: getParsedBody()
+
+PSR-7 ServerRequestInterface provides `getParsedBody()` specifically to solve this issue:
+
+```php
+// ❌ BAD: Reading body directly (non-seekable)
+$body = (string) $request->getBody();
+$data = json_decode($body, true);
+
+// ✅ GOOD: Use getParsedBody() (cached by framework)
+$data = $request->getParsedBody(); // array|object|null
+```
+
+## How to Use in Horde
+
+### Option 1: Use JsonBodyParser Middleware (Recommended)
+
+Add the middleware to routes that accept JSON:
+
+```php
+// In config/routes.local.php
+$mapper->connect('api_endpoint', '/api/v1/endpoint', [
+    'controller' => MyApiController::class,
+    'stack' => [\Horde\Http\Server\Middleware\JsonBodyParser::class],
+]);
+```
+
+In your controller:
+
+```php
+use Psr\Http\Message\ServerRequestInterface;
+
+class MyApiController implements RequestHandlerInterface
+{
+    public function handle(ServerRequestInterface $request): ResponseInterface
+    {
+        // Body already parsed by middleware
+        $body = $request->getParsedBody(); // array|null
+
+        $username = $body['username'] ?? null;
+        $password = $body['password'] ?? null;
+
+        // ...
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### Option 2: Parse Manually (If Middleware Not Available)
+
+```php
+private function parseJsonBody(ServerRequestInterface $request): array
+{
+    // Try getParsedBody first
+    $parsed = $request->getParsedBody();
+    if (is_array($parsed)) {
+        return $parsed;
+    }
+
+    // Fallback: parse manually (only reads once!)
+    $contentType = $request->getHeaderLine('Content-Type');
+    if (str_contains($contentType, 'application/json')) {
+        $body = (string) $request->getBody();
+        $decoded = json_decode($body, true);
+
+        if (json_last_error() === JSON_ERROR_NONE && is_array($decoded)) {
+            return $decoded;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return [];
+}
+```
+
+## Why Not Make Streams Seekable?
+
+Several approaches were considered:
+
+### A) Buffer to php://temp (Rejected)
+```php
+$body = file_get_contents('php://input');
+$stream = $streamFactory->createStream($body);
+```
+**Problem:** Buffers entire body in memory. Breaks streaming uploads.
+
+### B) CachingStream wrapper (Rejected)
+```php
+class CachingStream {
+    private $source; // php://input
+    private $cache;  // php://temp
+}
+```
+**Problem:** Complex, adds overhead, still buffers in memory.
+
+### C) Use getParsedBody() (✅ Chosen)
+- Standard PSR-7 pattern
+- Framework parses once, caches result
+- No memory overhead for large bodies
+- Works with streaming uploads
+- Explicit and clear in code
+
+## Best Practices
+
+1. **Always use `getParsedBody()`** for API endpoints accepting JSON/form data
+2. **Add JsonBodyParser middleware** to routes that need it
+3. **Never read `getBody()` multiple times** in the same request
+4. **For raw body access** (webhooks, file uploads), read once and store:
+   ```php
+   $raw = (string) $request->getBody();
+   $request = $request->withAttribute('raw_body', $raw);
+   ```
+
+## See Also
+
+- PSR-7: https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-7/#16-uploaded-files
+- PSR-15 Middleware: https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-15/
+- JsonBodyParser: src/Middleware/JsonBodyParser.php