Fetch vs Axios : Choose the better one!
We all are well versed with the fact that HTTP protocol is used whenever we access a resource on the server or whenever frontend programs interact with the server. We achieve this by using the above mentioned terms, Fetch and Axios, which allows us to fetch resources and make HTTP requests. Now the question arises, why Axios is preferred over fetch nowadays ?
Let’s quickly discuss which one to choose !
I hope this comparison helps you in finding the answers to some questions like which one is better, which one to prefer and the syntactical differences between them.
Fetch
The Fetch API provides a fetch() method that provides an easy way to fetch resources asynchronously across the network. The URL of the resource is the one mandatory thing which the fetch method requires and it returns a promise that resolves with an object of the built-in response class immediately after the server responds with headers.
Some characteristics of fetch are :
- To send data, fetch() uses the body property.
- The data in fetch() is stringified.
- The URL is passed as an argument in fetch().
- It has no url in request object.
- Fetch request is ok when response object contains the ok property.
Axios
Axios is a third party Javascript library used to make HTTP requests. It can be used to intercept HTTP requests and responses. It also enables client-side protection against XSRF and has the ability to cancel requests. Axios does not come as a native JavaScript API, so we import it manually into our project.
As Axios is a stand-alone third party package, it can be easily installed using:
npm install axios
Some characteristics of Axios are :
- To send data, Axios uses the data property.
- It’s data contains the object ( need not to be stringified manually ).
- It has url in request object.
- Axios request is ok when status is 200 and statusText is ‘OK’.
- It has wide browser support.
- It can monitor the progress of your uploads.
- It makes the testing part painless.
- It allows cancelling request and request timeout.
Some key differences:
Conclusion
Axios, being more convenient and easy to use, is preferred by most of the developers. On the other hand, the fetch() API can showcase the features of Axios but it requires much more effort when compared to Axios.
After getting the glimpse of the differences, what will you choose and why ? Do let us know in the comment section below.
