# node-fetch — Lightweight Fetch API for Node.js

> A lightweight module that brings the browser Fetch API to Node.js. Provides a minimal, standards-compliant HTTP client with streaming support and no external dependencies.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# node-fetch — Lightweight Fetch API for Node.js

## Quick Use
```bash
npm install node-fetch
```
```js
import fetch from 'node-fetch';
const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data');
const json = await res.json();
console.log(json);
```

## Introduction
node-fetch brings the browser-standard Fetch API to Node.js, providing a familiar and minimal HTTP client. It follows the WHATWG Fetch specification closely, making it easy to share HTTP logic between server and browser codebases.

## What node-fetch Does
- Implements the WHATWG Fetch specification for making HTTP requests in Node.js
- Supports streaming request and response bodies via Node.js Readable streams
- Handles redirects, compression (gzip, deflate, brotli), and custom headers
- Provides AbortController support for request cancellation
- Works as an ESM-first module with backward-compatible CommonJS entry points

## Architecture Overview
node-fetch wraps Node.js's built-in http and https modules behind the standard Fetch interface. Incoming responses are wrapped in a Response object with methods like .json(), .text(), and .blob() that match the browser API. The library delegates TLS, keep-alive, and socket pooling to Node.js core, keeping its own codebase lean. Streaming is first-class: response.body is a standard Node.js Readable stream.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via npm; v3+ is ESM-only, v2 supports CommonJS
- Configure a custom HTTP agent for keep-alive or proxy support
- Set request timeouts via AbortController with setTimeout
- Pass custom headers, methods, and body payloads like the browser Fetch API
- Use with Node.js 18+ built-in fetch or as a polyfill for older versions

## Key Features
- Spec-compliant Fetch API surface for server-side JavaScript
- Streaming support for large payloads without buffering the entire response
- Automatic decompression of gzip, deflate, and brotli responses
- AbortController integration for canceling in-flight requests
- Zero external dependencies — relies only on Node.js core modules

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Built-in fetch (Node 18+)** — native but only available in newer Node versions; node-fetch covers older LTS releases
- **Axios** — richer feature set with interceptors and transforms; heavier and uses a different API shape
- **got** — feature-rich HTTP client with retry, pagination, and hooks; larger API surface
- **undici** — low-level HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 client maintained by the Node.js team; faster but lower-level API

## FAQ
**Q: Should I use node-fetch or the built-in fetch in Node.js 18+?**
A: If you only target Node.js 18+, the built-in fetch is sufficient. Use node-fetch for projects supporting older Node.js versions.

**Q: How do I handle timeouts?**
A: Create an AbortController, pass its signal to fetch, and call `controller.abort()` after a setTimeout delay.

**Q: Is node-fetch v3 a breaking change from v2?**
A: Yes. v3 is ESM-only and drops CommonJS support. Use v2 if your project requires `require()`.

**Q: Can I send form data or file uploads?**
A: Yes. Pass a FormData instance (from the `formdata-polyfill` or `form-data` package) as the request body.

## Sources
- https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch
- https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-fetch

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-624be877
Author: Script Depot