How to Use Fetch API in Node JS

Have you ever tried to fetch something in NodeJS and found out that the fetch API doesn't work? If you have experienced this, you are not alone. Fetch is a browser API, and NodeJS doesn't have it. To fetch data in NodeJS, you will have to use the built-in http or the https module.

const https = require("https");

const url = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts";

https

  .get(url, (res) => {
    let response = "";

    res.on("data", (chunk) => {
      response += chunk;
    });

    res.on("end", () => {
      try {
        let json = JSON.parse(body); // do something with JSON
      } catch (error) {
        console.error(error.message);
      }
    });
  })

  .on("error", (error) => {
    console.error(error.message);
  });

If you don't like the verbose syntax of the https module, then don't worry. Some great devs have made the node-fetch npm package for you.

node-fetch

The node-fetch package is a lightweight module that brings the power of the fetch API in NodeJS. To install it, run-

# yarn

yarn add node-fetch

# npm

npm i node-fetch

Then you can import it in a Node JS file and use it as you usually do.

const fetch = require("node-fetch");

const url = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts";

const response = await fetch(url);

const json = await response.json();

The node-fetch package is a replication of fetch for Node JS. So, it includes all the methods and also supports the options object. For example-

const fetch = require("node-fetch");

const url = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts";

const options = {
  method: "Get",
};

const response = await fetch(url, options);

const json = await response.json();

Conclusion

Though Node JS includes two powerful built-in modules for data fetching, their syntax is over-complicated. And for the dev who love the simple syntax of the fetch API, some awesome people have come up with the node-fetch package. It's not only easy to use but also a fast and lightweight solution.