Alternative libraries to request

[reconbot]

Since the announcement of request going into "maintenance mode" (full details in #3142) I'd like to collect a list of alternative libraries to use. Please comment below and I'll update this table. When we have a list of good alternatives we should add this to the readme.

In no particular order and dreadfully incomplete;

Package Name	Bundle Size	API Style	Summary
node-fetch	0.4kb	promise / stream	A light-weight module that brings window.fetch to Node.js
bent	1kb	fp / promise / stream	Functional HTTP client w/ async/await
got	48.4kb	promise / stream	Simplified HTTP requests
make-fetch-happen	442kb	promise / stream	make-fetch-happen is a Node.js library that wraps node-fetch-npm with additional features node-fetch doesn't intend to include, including HTTP Cache support, request pooling, proxies, retries, and more!
axios	11.9kb	promise / stream	Promise based HTTP client for the browser and node.js
unfetch	1kb	promise / stream	Tiny 500b fetch "barely-polyfill"
superagent	18kb	chaining / promise	Small progressive client-side HTTP request library, and Node.js module with the same API, sporting many high-level HTTP client features
tiny-json-http	22kb	promise	Minimalist HTTP client for GET and POSTing JSON payloads
needle	164kb	chaining / promise	The leanest and most handsome HTTP client in the Nodelands
urllib	816kb	callback / promise	Help in opening URLs (mostly HTTP) in a complex world — basic and digest authentication, redirections, cookies and more.

[jeffscottward]

As a frontend focused guy who also does node.js from time to time, axios has been my go to.
Easy API, from Facebook, works on browsers and node? Done

[bnb]

Per a recent discussion with @mikeal, I have Bent a try. As a Node.js developer whose been using request for a while now, bent was definitely an easy transition - highly recommended 💖

[paambaati]

@reconbot You might want to add got, needle and urllib.

[simov]

Well, it feels kind of wrong to promote my own little library here, but since that's the goal of the issue, here it is: request-compose is a functional, 0 deps HTTP client with support for promises, streams, and a bunch of other useful options, most of which are very close to the ones found in request.

I also wrote an article about it. The general idea is that everyone is encouraged to compose their own HTTP clients, specifically tailored to their own needs.

As for the bundle size, I've no idea, but it should be pretty small, though this client was never designed to be used in the browser.

[csantanapr]

It might be good to add the following columns to the table:

• Number of stars in Github (yes I already know this is not the only factor when choosing a lib)
• Number of npm downloads (maybe weekly, same stat as npm website, and yes I already know this is not the only factor when choosing a lib)

When putting side by side these numbers some libs have thousands of stars and million of downloads weekly, vs others in the hundreds.

My 2 cents, OK to ignore and move on, no need to correct or dispute the comment.

[reconbot]

@csantanapr I agree, it might be worth comparing feature sets too. Proxy support, cache support, auth features etc. If you use a specific feature of request and need to find it elsewhere, this would be a good time to talk about it.

[kreig303]

axios gets my vote, especially as a front-ender.

[JamesMGreene]

Worth a look: ky (frontend) and ky-universal (isomorphic)

[rmngrc]

Axios user here. That way, all our teams can use the same library regardless the environment: browser or nodejs (running in server or serverless). Very well maintained, and all our people love it.

[sindresorhus]

We have a good comparison between got, request, node-fetch, axios, and superagent in the got readme: https://github.com/sindresorhus/got#comparison
(PR welcome if you see any inaccuracies. We've tried to keep it as neutral as possible)

Got also has a migration guide for moving from request: https://github.com/sindresorhus/got/blob/master/migration-guides.md