Best JavaScript HTTP clients
Libraries for making HTTP requests from Node.js and the browser. undici leads with about 321M real installs a week, followed by node-fetch with about 278M.
| package | real installs / week | npm / week | noise | last release | confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. undiciAn HTTP/1.1 client, written from scratch for Node.js | 321M | 321,272,312 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 2. node-fetchA light-weight module that brings Fetch API to node.js | 278M | 277,668,187 | under 1% | Jul 2023 | high |
| 3. axiosPromise based HTTP client for the browser and node.js | 144M | 144,287,152 | under 1% | Oct 2026 | high |
| 4. gotHuman-friendly and powerful HTTP request library for Node.js | 52.7M | 52,711,066 | under 1% | Oct 2026 | high |
| 5. superagentelegant & feature rich browser / node HTTP with a fluent API | 32.4M | 32,380,553 | under 1% | Sep 2026 | high |
| 6. ofetchA better fetch API. Works on node, browser and workers. | 25.4M–25.5M | 25,456,245 | under 1% | Nov 2025 | high |
| 7. kyTiny and elegant HTTP client based on the Fetch API | 9.75M–9.76M | 9,760,446 | under 1% | Oct 2026 | high |
Ranked by real installs. That measures use, not quality: read the notes below before choosing. Mirror spikes and crawlers removed. CI and dependency installs still count, so this is not a head count. Noise: the share of npm's count that mirror spikes and crawlers account for. What remains still includes CI and dependency installs. Rows are refreshed in rotation, the oldest here on Nov 6, 2026.
How do they differ?
Browsers and current Node.js versions ship fetch, so you may not need a library at all. Axios adds interceptors and works in both environments. Got is a Node client with retries and streams. Ky is a small wrapper over fetch. Undici is the client behind fetch in Node.js.