Mastering API Communication with Axios

What is Axios?

Axios is a Promise-based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. It’s isomorphic, meaning it can run in both environments with the same code. On the server side, Axios uses Node’s native http module, while on the client side, it uses XMLHttpRequest objects.

Making GET Requests with Axios

To make a GET request using Axios, you can use the axios.get() method. This method returns a Promise that resolves to the response object. You can also pass a request config object with options like URL, headers, and params.

axios.get('https://example.com/data')
 .then(response => {
    console.log(response.data);
  })
 .catch(error => {
    console.error(error);
  });

Installing Axios

To install Axios, run the following command in your terminal:

npm install axios

You can also install Axios using yarn or bower.

Creating a Custom Axios Instance

You can create a custom Axios instance with specific configurations using the axios.create() method. This allows you to encapsulate common settings and reuse them across your application.

const customAxios = axios.create({
  baseURL: 'https://example.com/api',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
});

Handling Errors with Axios

Axios provides several ways to handle errors, including:

• Catching errors with the .catch() method
• Using the validateStatus request config option
• Retrying failed requests with the axios-retry plugin

axios.get('https://example.com/data')
 .catch(error => {
    if (error.response) {
      console.error(error.response.data);
    } else {
      console.error(error);
    }
  });

Canceling Requests with Axios Signal

Axios provides a convenient feature called signal for canceling requests. This functionality is useful in scenarios where a user navigates away from a page, a component is unmounted before a request completes, or the network connection becomes unavailable.

const controller = new AbortController();
axios.get('https://example.com/data', {
  signal: controller.signal
});

// Cancel the request
controller.abort();

Making Concurrent Requests with Axios

You can make concurrent requests with Axios using the axios.all() method. This method takes an array of requests and returns a Promise that resolves to an array of responses.

const requests = [
  axios.get('https://example.com/data1'),
  axios.get('undefined.com/data2')
];

axios.all(requests)
 .then(responses => {
    console.log(responses);
  })
 .catch(error => {
    console.error(error);
  });

Using Axios Interceptors

Axios interceptors are functions that allow you to manipulate requests or responses before they are handled by then or catch. This is useful for tasks like adding authentication headers, logging requests, or transforming responses.

axios.interceptors.push({
  request: config => {
    config.headers['Authorization'] = 'Bearer YOUR_TOKEN';
    return config;
  }
});

Error Handling Strategies

Axios provides several error handling strategies, including:

• Catching errors
• Retrying failed requests
• Canceling requests

You can also define custom error handling strategies using Axios interceptors.

Best Practices for API Communication

To ensure efficient API communication, it’s essential to follow best practices like:

• Using caching
• Optimizing request headers
• Handling errors effectively

By mastering Axios, you can take your API communication to the next level and build faster, more scalable applications.