# Got — Human-Friendly HTTP Client for Node.js

> Got is a lightweight, feature-rich HTTP client for Node.js with built-in retry logic, pagination, caching, and hooks for composable request pipelines.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Got — Human-Friendly HTTP Client for Node.js

## Quick Use
```bash
npm install got
```
```javascript
import got from "got";
const data = await got("https://api.example.com/users").json();
console.log(data);
```

## Introduction
Got is a Node.js HTTP client designed as a modern, developer-friendly alternative to the built-in http module. It covers common needs like automatic retries, redirect following, streaming, and JSON parsing with a clean promise-based API.

## What Got Does
- Sends HTTP requests with a simple promise and stream interface
- Retries failed requests automatically with configurable backoff
- Follows redirects and handles cookies transparently
- Supports pagination through built-in link-header traversal
- Provides lifecycle hooks for request and response transformation

## Architecture Overview
Got wraps Node.js native http/https modules and adds a layered middleware pipeline. Each request passes through normalizers, hooks (beforeRequest, afterResponse, beforeRetry), and response handlers. Options cascade from defaults to instance-level to per-request, and the client can be extended with `got.extend()` to create pre-configured instances.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via npm: `npm install got`
- ESM-only since v12; use `import got from "got"`
- Create custom instances with `got.extend({ prefixUrl, headers })`
- Configure retry count, methods, and status codes via the `retry` option
- Set timeouts per phase (lookup, connect, socket, response) for fine-grained control

## Key Features
- Automatic retries with exponential backoff on network errors and 5xx responses
- First-class TypeScript types ship with the package
- Stream and promise APIs available for every request
- RFC-compliant caching via a pluggable cache adapter
- Hooks system enables logging, auth token injection, and response transforms

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Axios** — Works in both browser and Node; Got is Node-only but lighter and ESM-native
- **node-fetch** — Minimal Fetch API polyfill; Got adds retries, hooks, and pagination
- **undici** — Lower-level HTTP/1.1 client from the Node.js team; faster but less ergonomic
- **ky** — Browser-focused Fetch wrapper by the same author; Got is the Node.js counterpart

## FAQ
**Q: Does Got work in the browser?**
A: No. Got is Node.js-only. For browsers, use ky or native Fetch.

**Q: How do I migrate from Axios to Got?**
A: Replace `axios.get(url)` with `got(url).json()`. Most options map directly; see the migration guide in the repo.

**Q: Can I use Got with HTTP/2?**
A: Yes. Pass `http2: true` in the options to enable HTTP/2 with automatic ALPN negotiation.

**Q: Is Got actively maintained?**
A: Yes. The project is maintained by Sindre Sorhus and receives regular releases.

## Sources
- https://github.com/sindresorhus/got
- https://github.com/sindresorhus/got/blob/main/documentation/README.md

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