Alova Request Library: Why it is your best choice

In front-end development, we often need to interact with the backend for data exchange, which involves the use of request libraries. Request libraries are tools that encapsulate network requests, helping us simplify code, handle errors, set interceptors, etc. This article will introduce several commonly used request libraries in front-end development, including axios, fetch, jQuery.ajax, and XMLHttpRequest, and compare and analyze them, finally providing code examples for the common request methods of each library.

axios#

axios is a Promise-based HTTP client that can be used in both browsers and Node.js. Its features include:

Supports intercepting requests and responses
Supports canceling requests
Supports transforming request and response data
Supports automatic JSON data transformation
Supports defending against XSRF attacks

The drawbacks of axios are:

Does not support browsers below IE9
Does not support native progress events

Code examples of common request methods in axios:

// GET request
axios.get('/user', {
params: {
id: 123
}
})
.then(function (response) {
console.log(response.data);
})
.catch(function (error) {
console.log(error);
});

// POST request
axios.post('/user', {
name: 'Alice',
age: 18
})
.then(function (response) {
console.log(response.data);
})
.catch(function (error) {
console.log(error);
});

fetch#

fetch is a native JavaScript API that provides a simple way to fetch resources, whether cross-origin or same-origin. Its features include:

Promise-based, supports asynchronous operations
Supports streaming data, can handle large files
Supports Service Worker, can achieve offline caching

The drawbacks of fetch are:

Does not support IE browsers
Does not support canceling requests
Does not support setting timeout
Does not carry cookies by default
Does not throw exceptions by default, manual status code checking is required

Code examples of common request methods in fetch:

// GET request
fetch('/user?id=123')
.then(function (response) {
if (response.ok) {
return response.json();
} else {
throw new Error('Something went wrong');
}
})
.then(function (data) {
console.log(data);
})
.catch(function (error) {
console.log(error);
});

// POST request
fetch('/user', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
name: 'Alice',
age: 18
})
})
.then(function (response) {
if (response.ok) {
return response.json();
} else {
throw new Error('Something went wrong');
}
})
.then(function (data) {
console.log(data);
})
.catch(function (error) {
console.log(error);
});

jQuery#

jQuery.ajax is a method provided by jQuery that encapsulates XMLHttpRequest, enabling cross-browser Ajax requests. Its features include:

Concise syntax, supports chaining
Supports JSONP, can achieve cross-origin requests
Supports setting global options, such as timeout, error handling, etc.

The drawbacks of jQuery.ajax are:

Requires dependency on jQuery library, increasing code size and loading time
Does not support Promise, requires the use of callback functions to handle asynchronous operations

Code examples of common request methods in jQuery.ajax:

// GET request
$.ajax({
url: '/user',
type: 'GET',
data: {id: 123},
dataType: 'json',
success: function (data) {
console.log(data);
},
error: function (xhr, status, error) {
console.log(error);
}
});

// POST request
$.ajax({
url: '/user',
type: 'POST',
data: {name: 'Alice', age: 18},
dataType: 'json',
success: function (data) {
console.log(data);
},
error: function (xhr, status, error) {
console.log(error);
}
});

XMLHttpRequest#

XMLHttpRequest is a JavaScript object that provides a way to exchange data between a browser and a server. It is the foundation of Ajax technology. Its features include:

Supports synchronous and asynchronous operations
Supports various data formats, such as XML, JSON, text, etc.
Supports listening to events, such as progress events, error events, etc.

The drawbacks of XMLHttpRequest are:

Complex syntax, requires creating objects, setting options, registering events, etc.
Does not support cross-origin requests (unless using CORS)
Does not support Promise, requires the use of callback functions to handle asynchronous operations

Code examples of common request methods in XMLHttpRequest:

// GET request
var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
xhr.open('GET', '/user?id=123', true);
xhr.responseType = 'json';
xhr.onload = function () {
if (xhr.status === 200) {
console.log(xhr.response);
} else {
console.error('Something went wrong');
}
};
xhr.onerror = function () {
console.error('Network error');
};
xhr.send();

// POST request
var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
xhr.open('POST', '/user', true);
xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
xhr.responseType = 'json';
xhr.onload = function () {
if (xhr.status === 200) {
console.log(xhr.response);
} else {
console.error('Something went wrong');
}
};
xhr.onerror = function () {
console.error('Network error');
};
xhr.send(JSON.stringify({name: 'Alice', age: 18}));

To summarize, each of the commonly used request libraries in front-end development has its own advantages and disadvantages. There is no absolute good or bad. We should choose the appropriate request library based on the requirements and scenarios of the project. I hope this article can be helpful to you.