cross-fetch
Advanced tools
Package description
The cross-fetch npm package is a polyfill for the Fetch API that works in both browser and Node.js environments. It allows you to make HTTP requests using the same API across different platforms, providing a consistent way to fetch resources asynchronously over the network.
Performing HTTP GET requests
This code sample demonstrates how to perform a simple HTTP GET request to retrieve data from a specified URL and then process the JSON response.
fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log(data))
.catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));Performing HTTP POST requests
This code sample shows how to perform an HTTP POST request to send JSON data to a server and then handle the JSON response.
fetch('https://api.example.com/data', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({ key: 'value' })
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log(data))
.catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));Handling HTTP errors
This code sample illustrates how to handle errors in HTTP requests by checking the response status and throwing an error if the response is not successful.
fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
.then(response => {
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error('Network response was not ok');
}
return response.json();
})
.then(data => console.log(data))
.catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));Axios is a popular HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. It provides a promise-based API and has a similar feature set to cross-fetch, including the ability to make GET, POST, and other types of HTTP requests. Axios also includes interceptors for request and response transformation, which cross-fetch does not have.
node-fetch is a lightweight module that brings the Fetch API to Node.js. It is similar to cross-fetch but is specifically designed for Node.js environments and does not work in the browser. node-fetch is a good choice if you only need to support server-side fetching.
isomorphic-fetch is another Fetch API polyfill that works in both Node.js and browser environments. It is similar to cross-fetch in its goal to provide a consistent API across platforms. However, isomorphic-fetch has not been updated as frequently as cross-fetch, which may be a consideration for developers looking for a well-maintained package.
whatwg-fetch is a polyfill for the Fetch API for browsers. It is maintained by the GitHub team and is intended to be used in browser environments only. Unlike cross-fetch, it does not provide Node.js support, making it less versatile for isomorphic applications.
Readme
Universal WHATWG Fetch API for Node, Browsers and React Native. The scenario that cross-fetch really shines is when your javascript codebase is shared between different platforms at the same time, for instance, an isomorphic app that runs on React Native.
npm install --save cross-fetch
const fetch = require('cross-fetch');
fetch('//api.github.com/users/lquixada')
.then(res => {
if (res.status >= 400) {
throw new Error("Bad response from server");
}
return res.json();
})
.then(user => {
console.log(user);
});
My preferred library used to be isomorphic-fetch. It worked all and fine until the day I needed to expand my isomorphic app to React Native. It just threw an exception. I went to the github project and an issue had already been filled. The repo however haven't received a single commit since 2016 leaving us orphans. A lot of forks has been created but each one addresses their particular problem be it cookies, older browsers support or whatever.
In order to run a fetch that is cross-platform compatible, cross-fetch has been created. It is just the same as isomorphic-fetch but updated and that bug fixed.
cross-fetch (like isomorphic-fetch) is just a proxy. If you're in node, it delivers you the node-fetch library, if you're in a browser ou React Native, it delivers you the github's fetch-ponyfill.
You can find a comprehensive doc at Github's fetch page.
Note: modern browsers contain native implementations of window.fetch, therefore the code from this polyfill doesn't have any effect on those browsers. If you believe you've encountered an error with how window.fetch is implemented in any of these browsers, you should file an issue with that browser vendor instead of this project.
Heavily inspired by the works of matthew-andrews. Kudos to him!
cross-fetch is licenced under the MIT licence.
FAQs
Universal WHATWG Fetch API for Node, Browsers and React Native
We found that cross-fetch demonstrated a healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released less than a year ago. It has 1 open source maintainer collaborating on the project.
Did you know?
Socket for GitHub automatically highlights issues in each pull request and monitors the health of all your open source dependencies. Discover the contents of your packages and block harmful activity before you install or update your dependencies.
Security News
CISA launched a new project called Vulnrichment to enrich CVEs with details that help prioritize patching and mitigation efforts, as the NVD backlog of unenriched CVEs awaiting analysis surpasses 10,000.
Security News
Socket is joining forces with CISA and other industry leaders at the RSA Conference to sign the Secure by Design pledge, committing to uphold the highest security standards in our products.
Research
The Socket research team breaks down a sampling of malicious packages that download and execute files, among other suspicious behaviors, targeting the popular Discord platform.