gistfile1.js

var createCouchRequest = function(httpClient, method, path, params) {
  var couchRequest  = {},
      httpClient    = httpClient,
      method        = method,
      path          = path,
      body          = '';

  if (method === 'get') {
    path += toQueryString(params);
  } else {
    body = JSON.stringify(params);
  }
      
  var buffer = function(callback) {
    request = httpClient[method](path);

    if (body) { request.sendBody(body) };

    var responseBody = '';
    request.finish(function(response) {
      response.addListener('body', function(chunk) { responseBody += chunk; });
      response.addListener('complete', function() {
        callback.call(null, response, JSON.parse(responseBody));
      });
    });
  };
  
  var stream = function(streamRequest, streamResponse) {
    // any reason to forward streamRequest.headers as the second param here?
    request = httpClient[method](path /*, streamRequest.headers */);

    streamRequest.addListener('body', function(chunk) {
      request.sendBody(chunk);
    });

    request.finish(function (response) {
      // any reason to forward the response.headers as the second param here?
      streamResponse.sendHeader(response.statusCode /*, response.headers */);

      response.addListener('body', function (chunk) {
        streamResponse.sendBody(chunk);
      });

      response.addListener('complete', function () {
        streamResponse.finish();
      });
    });
  };
  
  var toQueryString = function(params) {
    var queryString = '';
    for (var key in params) {
      queryString += encodeURIComponent(key) + '=' + encodeURIComponent(params[key]);
    }
    return queryString.length > 0 ? '?' + queryString : '';
  };

  couchRequest.buffer = buffer;
  couchRequest.stream = stream;
      
  return couchRequest;
};