Axios vs Fetch vs jQuery AJAX: What's the Best Way to Send HTTP Requests?

In modern web development, making HTTP requests is a fundamental skill. Whether you're retrieving data from an API, submitting a form, or updating records dynamically, you’ll often find yourself choosing between Axios, the native Fetch API, and jQuery’s legacy $.ajax method. But which one should you use?

As a seasoned JavaScript developer, I’ve watched the evolution of these tools over the years. Let’s break down the differences, strengths, and weaknesses of each—and explore some hidden gems along the way.

1. jQuery AJAX: The Old School Veteran

Before ES6 and modern JavaScript frameworks, jQuery was the go-to library for DOM manipulation and Ajax.

$.ajax({
  url: 'https://api.example.com/data',
  method: 'GET',
  success: function(response) {
    console.log('Data fetched:', response);
  },
  error: function(err) {
    console.error('Something went wrong:', err);
  }
});

Pros:

• Cross-browser compatibility

• Easy to use with legacy codebases

• Tons of community plugins

Cons:

• Heavy (especially if you're only using it for HTTP)

• No native Promise support

• Lacks modern developer ergonomics

Hint: If you’re only using jQuery for Ajax, consider refactoring to fetch or Axios. You’ll reduce bundle size and modernize your code.

2. Fetch API: The Modern Native

Introduced in ES6, fetch() is now a built-in method available in all modern browsers. It uses Promises and provides a cleaner, modern syntax.

fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
  .then(res => {
    if (!res.ok) throw new Error('Network response was not ok');
    return res.json();
  })
  .then(data => console.log('Fetched with fetch:', data))
  .catch(err => console.error('Fetch error:', err));

Pros:

• Native and lightweight

• Returns Promises by default

• Chainable and composable

Cons:

• No automatic JSON parsing (you must call .json())

• Doesn't throw on HTTP errors (requires manual handling)

• Verbose error handling

Hint: Wrap fetch in a reusable helper function to reduce repetition and handle common errors:

const request = async (url, options = {}) => {
  const res = await fetch(url, options);
  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Error: ${res.status}`);
  return res.json();
};

3. Axios: The Developer’s Favorite

Axios is a promise-based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. It offers a simpler, more elegant syntax and comes packed with useful features.

import axios from 'axios';

axios.get('https://api.example.com/data')
  .then(response => console.log('Axios fetched:', response.data))
  .catch(error => console.error('Axios error:', error));

Pros:

• Automatic JSON transformation

• Request/response interceptors

• Built-in support for timeout, headers, and cancel tokens

• Better error messaging out of the box

Cons:

• External dependency

• Slightly larger bundle size

Hint: Use Axios interceptors to handle auth tokens globally:

axios.interceptors.request.use(config => {
  config.headers.Authorization = `Bearer ${localStorage.getItem('token')}`;
  return config;
});

Which One Is the Best?

It depends on your project:

For modern applications, Axios generally offers the best developer experience due to its powerful features and simplicity. However, if you’re building a small script or a performance-critical site, the native fetch is often sufficient and avoids extra dependencies.

Final Thoughts

JavaScript keeps evolving—and so should your tools. While jQuery’s $.ajax laid the foundation, today’s best practices lean toward fetch and Axios. Understanding their differences is key to writing clean, efficient, and future-proof code.

Bonus Hint: Use try...catch with async/await to make your HTTP logic cleaner:

try {
  const data = await request('https://api.example.com/data');
  console.log('Data received:', data);
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Request failed:', error.message);
}

Which tool are you using right now and why?