Concurrent HTTP requests in Node.js

Concurrent HTTP requests in Node.js

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 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.