How do you pass options to a built-in pipe like ParseIntPipe or ParseUUIDPipe in NestJS?

Q: How do you pass options to a built-in pipe like ParseIntPipe or ParseUUIDPipe in NestJS?

// Default — throws BadRequestException (400) on failure @Param('id', ParseIntPipe) id: number // Custom error status — throw NotFoundException (404) instead @Param('id', new ParseIntPipe({ errorHttpStatusCode: HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND })) id: number // ParseUUIDPipe — restrict to UUID version 4 only @Param('uuid', new ParseUUIDPipe({ version: '4' })) uuid: string // ParseEnumPipe — validate against a TypeScript enum export enum Direction { ASC = 'ASC', DESC = 'DESC' } @Get() findAll(@Query('sort', new ParseEnumPipe(Direction)) sort: Direction) {} Class reference (ParseIntPipe without new) — NestJS resolves it through the DI container. Instance (new ParseIntPipe({...})) — you control options but lose DI injection inside the pipe. Use class reference when the pipe has no options and may need injected services. Use instance when you need to pass specific options like errorHttpStatusCode or version. ParseFilePipe, ParseArrayPipe, ParseUUIDPipe, and ParseEnumPipe all accept option objects.

Difficulty: 5/10

Pipe options, Parameter validation, Global vs route-specific pipes

Instantiate the pipe with an options object using new instead of passing the class reference. This lets you override the error HTTP status code, restrict UUID versions, or configure other pipe-specific behavior. When using new, the pipe is not resolved through DI — it cannot inject services.

Configuring built-in pipes with options

Class reference vs instance — key difference:

1
Class reference (ParseIntPipe without new) — NestJS resolves it through the DI container.
2
Instance (new ParseIntPipe({...})) — you control options but lose DI injection inside the pipe.
3
Use class reference when the pipe has no options and may need injected services.
4
Use instance when you need to pass specific options like errorHttpStatusCode or version.
5
ParseFilePipe, ParseArrayPipe, ParseUUIDPipe, and ParseEnumPipe all accept option objects.

Scenario Questions

0-2 years experience

Follow-up Questions