How to Make API Requests in Node.js

Making API requests in Node.js is essential for interacting with external services and data. One of the most popular and easy-to-use libraries for making HTTP requests is axios.

What is Axios?

Axios is a promise-based HTTP client for Node.js and the browser. It is the ideal choice for making HTTP requests to fetch or save data from an external source.

Key Features of Axios:

• Promise-based: Enables simpler asynchronous code with async/await.
• Automatic JSON data transformation: Axios handles JSON responses seamlessly.
• Interceptors: For manipulating requests or responses before they are handled.

You can get more information about axios from the official documentation.

Installing Axios

First, you need to install axios in your Node.js project. You can do this using npm or yarn.

npm install axios
# or
yarn add axios

Making a GET Request

Here’s how you can make a GET request using axios to fetch data from an API. For demonstration, we will use a public API that provides JSON data.

const axios = require('axios');

const getData = async () => {
   try {
       const response = await axios.get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1');
       console.log(response.data);
   } catch (error) {
       console.error('Error fetching data:', error);
   }
};

getData();

In this snippet:

• axios.get fetches data from the specified URL.
• async/await is used to handle the asynchronous operation smoothly.
• try/catch blocks are used to handle errors.

Making a POST Request

Similarly, you can make a POST request to send data to an API.

const axios = require('axios');

const postData = async () => {
    try {
        const response = await axios.post('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts', {
            title: 'foo',
            body: 'bar',
            userId: 1
        });
        console.log(response.data);
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error posting data:', error);
    }
};

postData();

Conclusion

Axios is a powerful and easy-to-use library for making HTTP requests in Node.js. Whether you're fetching data with a GET request or sending data with a POST request, Axios simplifies the process with its promise-based API. By using interceptors, you can also handle requests and responses more efficiently.

For more information, check out the Axios GitHub repository and start integrating it into your Node.js projects today!