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http.request()

Makes an outgoing HTTP request and returns a writable request stream.

Since Node 0.x Spec ↗

Syntax

http.request(url[, options][, callback])

Parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
url string | URL | object Yes The target URL or an options object with `hostname`, `port`, `path`, `method`, and `headers`.
options object No Request options when the first argument is a URL.
callback function No Called with the IncomingMessage response.

Returns

http.ClientRequest — A writable stream for the request body.

Examples

import { request } from 'node:http';

const req = request('http://localhost:3000/api', { method: 'POST' }, (res) => {
  let body = '';
  res.on('data', (c) => (body += c));
  res.on('end', () => console.log(res.statusCode, body));
});
req.write(JSON.stringify({ name: 'Ada' }));
req.end();
Output 
201 {"id":1}

Notes

You must call `req.end()` to send the request. For most code the global `fetch()` (stable in Node 21) is simpler; reach for `http.request` when you need streaming control or agents. Use `https.request` for TLS.

See also