node-fetch brings the Fetch API, a modern standard for making web requests in browsers, to Node.js. It offers a lightweight and familiar interface for fetching resources over HTTP/HTTPS. Popular for its promise-based approach, node-fetch simplifies asynchronous operations compared to older Node.js HTTP modules. It supports features like request and response manipulation, headers, and stream handling and is widely adopted in server-side JavaScript environments for building APIs and interacting with external web services.
The npm package node-fetch had frequent releases in 2015-2019, with a peak in 2015. After a period of inactivity, releases resumed in 2020 and continued sporadically through 2023, spanning versions 2.6.x and 3.x.x. There have been no releases for the package since August 2023.
Node-fetch downloads show significant growth from February 2024 to August 2025. Starting at 43 million, downloads surged, fluctuating between 212 million and 282 million, exceeding 300 million. August 2025 shows a drop to 230 million, but the month is still ongoing, so the data is not yet complete.
