Axios HTTP Client for TypeScript

What is Axios?

Axios is a popular Promise-based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js, written in TypeScript. It provides a convenient and powerful interface for making HTTP requests, supports interceptors, automatic JSON data transformation, and CSRF protection. The library is ideal for modern web applications that require flexible interaction with REST APIs.

Why use Axios?

Unlike the built-in fetch, Axios automatically parses JSON, handles HTTP status errors (e.g., 404 or 500) as exceptions, supports request cancellation and upload progress bars. For TypeScript projects, Axios provides strict typing for responses and requests, simplifying development and reducing bugs. If you are writing in TypeScript and working with APIs, Axios is the standard choice.

Installation

npm install axios

For TypeScript projects, types are already included in the package; there is no need to install @types/axios separately.

Main Features

Support for all HTTP methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, and others.
Automatic data transformation: responses are automatically parsed into JSON, and request objects are serialized.
Interceptors: you can add logic before sending a request or after receiving a response (e.g., for adding an authorization token).
Request cancellation: via CancelToken or AbortController.
Timeouts and progress: configure timeouts and track upload/download progress.
Strict typing: support for generics to type the response body.

TypeScript Code Example

import axios, { AxiosResponse } from 'axios';

interface User {  id: number;  name: string;  email: string;}

async function fetchUser(id: number): Promise<User> {  try {    const response: AxiosResponse<User> = await axios.get<User>(`https://api.example.com/users/${id}`);    return response.data;  } catch (error) {    if (axios.isAxiosError(error)) {      console.error('Axios error:', error.message);    } else {      console.error('Unexpected error:', error);    }    throw error;  }}

// UsagefetchUser(1).then(user => console.log(user.name));

When to use Axios

Axios is ideal for any TypeScript project that requires interaction with HTTP servers: from simple SPAs to complex server-side Node.js applications. It is especially useful when you need advanced error handling, automatic data serialization, or work with multiple APIs. If you are using React, Vue, or Angular, Axios integrates easily with them thanks to support for interceptors and request cancellation.

The library is actively maintained, has a huge community, and is used in thousands of projects. Axios is a mature and stable solution that requires no additional dependencies.

Axios