better-fetch

library1.1.2jsnpmunverified

A tiny ES6 fetch() wrapper that simplifies common patterns: automatically sends cookies, allows setting default headers globally, and accepts plain JS objects as request body (auto-converted to FormData). Current stable version is 1.1.2, though the package appears unmaintained since 2016. Compared to alternatives like ky or axios, better-fetch is minimal and stays close to the native fetch API. It is likely compatible with both browser and Node.js environments that support fetch (or with polyfills). The library ships no TypeScript definitions and has no dependencies.

devops

npm install better-fetch

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · BETTER-FETCH

better-fetch

devopsjavascriptv1.1.2

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

default (fetch)

✓ import fetch from 'better-fetch'

✗ const { default: fetch } = require('better-fetch')

The package exports a single default function. In CommonJS, use `require('better-fetch')` which returns the function directly.

default (fetch) with commonjs

✓ const fetch = require('better-fetch')

✗ const fetch = require('better-fetch').default

For CommonJS environments, the module exports the function directly, not as a default property.

setDefaultHeaders

✓ fetch.setDefaultHeaders({...})

✗ setDefaultHeaders({...})

setDefaultHeaders is a static method on the default fetch export, not a separate export.

Shows default header setup, GET and POST requests with automatic cookie sending and body-to-FormData conversion.

import fetch from 'better-fetch'; // Set default headers for all requests fetch.setDefaultHeaders({ Authorization: `Token token=${process.env.API_TOKEN ?? ''}`, Accept: 'application/json' }); // GET request fetch('/api/data') .then(response => response.json()) .then(json => { console.log('GET response:', json); }) .catch(err => console.error('GET error:', err)); // POST with plain object body (automatically converted to FormData) const data = { name: 'John', age: 30 }; fetch('/api/users', { method: 'POST', body: data }) .then(response => response.json()) .then(json => { console.log('POST response:', json); }) .catch(err => console.error('POST error:', err));

Debug

Known issues

deprecatedPackage appears unmaintained; last update in 2016 and no recent commits.

fix

Consider migrating to ky, cross-fetch, or native fetch if supported.

affects: all

gotchaAutomatic cookie sending may be blocked by browser SameSite policies in modern browsers.

fix

Ensure the request includes credentials: 'include' if needed, or use native fetch with explicit cookie handling.

affects: all

gotchaUsing body as plain object always converts to FormData. For JSON API calls, you must manually stringify and set Content-Type.

fix

If you need JSON body, pass JSON.stringify(data) and set Content-Type header manually.

affects: all

Errors

Common errors & fixes

require is not defined in ES module scope

Using require in an ESM environment.

fix

Use import fetch from 'better-fetch' instead.

fetch.setDefaultHeaders is not a function

Importing the wrong export (e.g., named import instead of default).

fix

Ensure you use import fetch from 'better-fetch' (default import).

Response is not defined (in Node.js)

Node.js does not have a global Response object by default before v18.

fix

Use a fetch polyfill like node-fetch or cross-fetch.

Upgrade

Version history

1.1.2latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

8 hits · last 30 days

node

Amazon

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/Swizec/better-fetch ↗

packagebetter-fetch ↗

homepagehttps://github.com/Swizec/better-fetch#readme ↗