How to make an HTTP request in Node.js?
Jul 13, 2025 am 02:18 AMThere are three common ways to initiate HTTP requests in Node.js: using built-in modules, axios, and node-fetch. 1. Use the built-in http/https module without dependencies, which is suitable for basic scenarios, but requires manual processing of data stitching and error monitoring, such as using https.get() to obtain data or sending POST requests through .write(); 2. axios is a third-party library based on Promise. It has concise syntax and powerful functions. It supports async/await, automatic JSON conversion, interceptor, etc. It is recommended to simplify asynchronous request operations; 3. node-fetch provides a style similar to browser fetch, based on Promise and simple syntax. It requires introducing modules and calling .json() or .text() to parse the response content. The choice depends on project requirements and development preferences.
Initiating HTTP requests in Node.js is the basis of many backend tasks, such as calling external APIs, obtaining remote data, etc. The most common way is to use built-in http
or https
modules, or simplify operations with third-party libraries such as axios
and node-fetch
.

Use built-in module: http/https
Node.js comes with http
and https
modules, which can be used to send original HTTP requests. This method does not require additional installation dependencies and is suitable for basic scenarios.

Take https.get()
as an example:
const https = require('https'); https.get('https://api.example.com/data', (res) => { let data = ''; res.on('data', (chunk) => { data = chunk; }); res.on('end', () => { console.log(JSON.parse(data)); }); }).on('error', (err) => { console.error(err); });
- This method requires manual splicing of response data (via
'data'
event) - Pay attention to handling errors (listen to
error
events) - If it is a POST request, you also need to set headers and use
.write()
to send data
Use axios to initiate a request
axios
is a very popular third-party HTTP client. It is based on Promise and is simpler to use and more powerful.

First install:
npm install axisos
Then use:
const axios = require('axios'); axios.get('https://api.example.com/data') .then(response => console.log(response.data)) .catch(error => console.error(error));
Advantages include:
- Support async/await writing
- Automatically convert JSON data
- Support interceptor, cancel request and other functions
If it is a POST request:
axios.post('https://api.example.com/submit', { name: 'test', }) .then(response => console.log(response.data)) .catch(error => console.error(error));
Use node-fetch to simplify writing
If you want to use a syntax style similar to fetch
in your browser, you can use node-fetch
. It is also based on Promise and has a concise syntax.
Install first:
npm install node-fetch
Use again:
const fetch = require('node-fetch'); fetch('https://api.example.com/data') .then(res => res.json()) .then(json => console.log(json)) .catch(err => console.error(err));
Notice:
- The body returned by default is in a stream form, and needs to be converted using
.json()
or.text()
- Not globally available like a browser, modules are required
Basically, it depends on your project needs and preferences. If you pursue simplicity and convenience, it is recommended to use axios
; if you want to keep the code style unified, you can use node-fetch
; if you don’t want to pack it, you can also use built-in modules.
The above is the detailed content of How to make an HTTP request in Node.js?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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