# node-fetch/node-fetch

A light-weight module that brings the Fetch API to Node.js

Repository: https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/node-fetch
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: fetch, http, http-client, node-fetch, fetch-api, whatwg, whatwg-fetch, spec-compliant, stream, promise, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-05-12T09:33:16+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 60/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 82, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4237, "days_push": 113, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 8856, forks 1058 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:26.044572+00:00)

## What it is
A light-weight module that brings the WHATWG Fetch API to Node.js, providing a spec-compliant fetch() with promise-based requests and stream support. It is the widely-used polyfill for fetch in Node.js versions before native fetch was available.

## Use cases
- make http requests in node.js with fetch api
- polyfill fetch for older node versions
- download  from an api in node
- post form data or  to a web service
- stream response bodies in node.js
- cancel http requests with abortsignal

## When to choose
- you're on Node.js < 18 without native fetch
- you want a spec-compliant, lightweight fetch client
- you need stream-based response handling with the fetch API

## When to avoid
- you're on Node.js 18+ where fetch is built in
- you need advanced features like interceptors or automatic retries
- you're writing browser code where fetch already exists

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: http-client
- domain: web-development, developer-tools, apis
- platform: -
- tags: fetch-api, whatwg-fetch, promise-based, spec-compliant, streams, nodejs, javascript

## Member repositories
- node-fetch/node-fetch (main) score 60

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:26.044572+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:24:47.154273+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:26.044572+00:00, sha 0abd3f757bf6)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.