How do you make HTTP client requests in Node.js?

Direct answer

Use global fetch (Node 18+) or http.request/https.request for outbound calls — set timeouts with AbortSignal, check response.ok, parse JSON safely, and reuse connection pooling for high-volume service-to-service traffic.

Servers call other APIs constantly — payment webhooks, OAuth token exchange, internal microservices. Node provides fetch aligned with browser semantics plus lower-level http/https modules for streaming or custom TLS.

API	When to use
fetch(url, options)	JSON REST, standard headers, AbortSignal timeout
http.request / https.request	Fine-grained streaming, legacy integrations
undici (built into fetch)	High-perf HTTP/1.1 client in modern Node
Third-party (axios, got)	Interceptors, retries — optional in greenfield Fastify apps

AbortSignal.timeout(ms) — cancel hung upstream calls.
response.ok — fetch does not throw on 404/500; check status explicitly.
Credentials — server-to-server uses Authorization header, not browser cookies.

http-client.mjs

const API = process.env.API_URL ?? "http://localhost:4000";

async function getTopic(slug) {
  const res = await fetch(`${API}/interviews/topics/${slug}`, {
    signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000),
    headers: { Accept: "application/json" },
  });

  if (!res.ok) {
    throw new Error(`Upstream ${res.status}: ${slug}`);
  }

  return res.json();
}

await getTopic("nodejs-interview-questions");