Concurrent HTTP requests in Node.js

  • Node.js
  • Gabriele Romanato

Node.js is known for its efficiency in handling concurrent HTTP requests thanks to its non-blocking event loop model. This capability makes it an ideal choice for developing high-performance web applications. In this article, we will explore how to make concurrent HTTP requests in Node.js, taking advantage of available native and third-party libraries.

Node.js includes a native module called https that allows you to make HTTP requests easily and flexibly. Here's an example of how to use it to make concurrent HTTP requests:


const https = require('https');

const urls = ['https://example.com', 'https://example.org', 'https://example.net'];

urls.forEach((url) => {
   https.get(url, (response) => {
     let data = '';

     response.on('data', (chunk) => {
       data += chunk;
     });

     response.on('end', () => {
       console.log(`Reply from ${url}: ${data}`);
     });
   });
});

In this example, we are making concurrent HTTP requests to three different URLs. When a response is received from each request, we display it on the console.

If you want a simpler and more flexible way to handle concurrent HTTP requests in Node.js, you can use the third-party axios module. Axios greatly simplifies the process of making HTTP requests and managing their responses. To get started, you'll need to install axios via npm or yarn:


npm install axios

Here is an example of how to use axios to make concurrent HTTP requests:


const axios = require('axios');

const urls = ['https://example.com', 'https://example.org', 'https://example.net'];

// Create an array of Promises for HTTP requests
const requests = urls.map((url) => axios.get(url));

// Use Promise.allSettled to execute all requests concurrently
Promise.allSettled(requests)
   .then((responses) => {
     responses.forEach((response, index) => {
       if(response.status === 'fulfilled') {
       console.log(`Response from ${urls[index]}: ${response.value.data}`);
       } else {
           console.error(`${urls[index]}: `, response.reason);
       }
       
     });
  });

In this example, we are using axios to make concurrent HTTP requests to the specified URLs. Responses are handled with a single Promise.all that waits for all requests to complete.

Conclusions

In conclusion, Node.js is an ideal environment for handling concurrent HTTP requests thanks to its non-blocking model. You can use the native http module or third-party libraries like axios to simplify and optimize your network operations. Choose the solution that best suits your project and start leveraging the power of concurrent HTTP requests in Node.js.

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