`next()`

Passes control to the next matching middleware or route handler.

Since Express 4 Spec ↗

Syntax

next([err | "route"])

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`arg`	`Error \| string`	No	Pass an Error to jump to error middleware, or `'route'` to skip remaining handlers of the current route.

Returns

void — Returns nothing; control flows onward.

Examples

app.use((req, res, next) => {
  req.startedAt = Date.now();
  next();
});

app.get('/', (req, res) => res.send('ok'));

Output

ok

app.get('/users/:id',
  (req, res, next) => {
    if (!req.params.id) return next('route');
    next();
  },
  (req, res) => res.json({ id: req.params.id }),
);

Output

{"id":"7"}

Notes

Call `next()` exactly once per middleware - calling it twice or after sending a response throws. `next(err)` skips to error handlers; `next('route')` skips to the next route. Forgetting to call it (and not responding) hangs the request.