How to Make an HTTP Post Request using Node.js

There are many ways to make an HTTP POST request in Node.js. Many popular open-source libraries are available to perform any HTTP request.

Axios is one such library. It is a promise-based HTTP client that provides a simple API for making HTTP requests in JavaScript and Node.js.

Using Axios, you can easily make an HTTP POST request like the below:

const axios = require('axios')

const data = {
  name: 'John Doe',
  job: 'Content Writer'
}

axios
  .post('https://reqres.in/api/users', data)
  .then(res => {
    console.log(`Status: ${res.status}`)
    console.log('Body: ', res.data)
  })
  .catch(err => {
    console.error(err)
  })

Axios also supports async/await syntax for performing a POST request:

const axios = require('axios')

const data = {
  name: 'John Doe',
  job: 'Content Writer'
}

const createUser = async () => {
  try {
    const res = await axios.post('https://reqres.in/api/users', data)
    console.log(`Status: ${res.status}`)
    console.log('Body: ', res.data)
  } catch (err) {
    console.error(err)
  }
}

createUser()

Another way of making an HTTP POST request in Node.js is by using the Needle library:

const needle = require('needle')

const data = {
  name: 'John Doe',
  job: 'Content Writer'
}

needle('post', 'https://reqres.in/api/users', data, { json: true })
  .then(res => {
    console.log(`Status: ${res.statusCode}`)
    console.log('Body: ', res.body)
  })
  .catch(err => {
    console.error(err)
  })

The third way is to use the Request library:

const request = require('request')

const options = {
  url: 'https://reqres.in/api/users',
  json: true,
  body: {
    name: 'John Doe',
    job: 'Content Writer'
  }
}

request.post(options, (err, res, body) => {
  if (err) {
    return console.log(err)
  }
  console.log(`Status: ${res.statusCode}`)
  console.log(body)
})

The above three ways require adding an additional 3rd-party dependency to your project.

It is also possible to perform a POST request using Node.js native HTTPS module. But it requires doing a little extra work:

const https = require('https')

const data = JSON.stringify({
  name: 'John Doe',
  job: 'Content Writer'
})

const options = {
  hostname: 'reqres.in',
  path: '/api/users',
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Content-Length': data.length
  }
}

const req = https
  .request(options, res => {
    let data = ''

    console.log('Status Code:', res.statusCode)

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

    res.on('end', () => {
      console.log('Body: ', JSON.parse(data))
    })
  })
  .on('error', err => {
    console.log('Error: ', err.message)
  })

req.write(data)
req.end()

POST request with application/x-www-form-urlencoded

If you want to send the POST request body in application/x-www-form-urlencoded format, the Request library is the way to go. It does not require any additional dependency for encoding data:

const request = require('request')

const options = {
  url: 'https://reqres.in/api/users',
  form: {
    name: 'John Doe',
    job: 'SEO Specialist'
  }
}

request.post(options, (err, res, body) => {
  if (err) {
    return console.log(err)
  }
  console.log(JSON.parse(body))
})

Alternatively, you can use the Axios library that also supports promises for sending URL encoded form data:

const axios = require('axios')
const qs = require('querystring')

const data = {
  name: 'John Doe',
  job: 'Content Writer'
}

// set the headers
const config = {
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'
  }
}

axios
  .post('https://reqres.in/api/users', qs.stringify(data), config)
  .then(res => {
    console.log(`Status: ${res.status}`)
    console.log('Body: ', res.data)
  })
  .catch(err => {
    console.error(err)
  })

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