Comparison
Axios vs Fetch: Choosing Your HTTP Client
10 min read
Swagger to TanStack supports both Axios and Fetch as HTTP clients. Each has its strengths and tradeoffs. Let's explore which one is right for your project.
The Case for Axios
Automatic Transformations
typescript
Request/Response Interceptors
typescript
Progress Events
typescript
The Case for Fetch
Native Browser API
No external dependencies, smaller bundle size:
typescript
Better TypeScript Integration
typescript
Streaming Support
typescript
Generated Code Comparison
With Axios
bash
With Fetch
bash
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Axios if you need:
- Request/response interceptors for auth tokens
- Automatic JSON transformation
- Upload/download progress tracking
- Request cancellation
- Timeout configuration
Choose Fetch if you want:
- Smallest possible bundle size
- No external dependencies
- Native browser API
- Streaming support
- Better TypeScript types out of the box
Our Recommendation
For most applications, Axios provides a better developer experience with less boilerplate. The 13KB size impact is negligible in modern apps. However, if you're building a lightweight library or have strict bundle size requirements, Fetch is an excellent choice.