window.fetch polyfill vs got
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A browser polyfill that adds window.fetch to older browsers that lack it.
Open source · MIT
A Node.js library for making HTTP requests, with retries, timeouts, and JSON support.
The short answer
Choose window.fetch polyfill if you need…
- Front-end developers maintaining web apps that must support older browsers
- Teams replacing XMLHttpRequest code with a Promise-based API
- Projects that import a package and want window.fetch available automatically
Choose got if you need…
- Node.js developers who call web APIs from server-side code
- Projects that need built-in retries, advanced timeouts, or pagination helpers
- Developers who want HTTP/2, caching, or Unix socket support in one library
- Teams already using Got who want its plugins such as got-scraping or gh-got
Side-by-side
| window.fetch polyfill | got | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 25.8k | 15k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 2 years ago | 7 days ago |
What each one is
window.fetch polyfill
This project provides a fetch() function for making web requests from JavaScript in the browser, for browsers that do not support fetch natively. It implements a subset of the Fetch specification so it can replace most XMLHttpRequest uses in traditional web apps. The README notes that modern browsers already have fetch built in, so the code has no effect there.
got
Got is a JavaScript library that lets Node.js programs send HTTP requests to web servers and APIs. It handles common chores such as JSON bodies, retries on failure, timeouts, redirects, and progress events so you write less boilerplate. The README also points readers to Ky, a related library by the same author, for most users who need browser support or a smaller package.
Best for
window.fetch polyfill
- Front-end developers maintaining web apps that must support older browsers
- Teams replacing XMLHttpRequest code with a Promise-based API
- Projects that import a package and want window.fetch available automatically
got
- Node.js developers who call web APIs from server-side code
- Projects that need built-in retries, advanced timeouts, or pagination helpers
- Developers who want HTTP/2, caching, or Unix socket support in one library
- Teams already using Got who want its plugins such as got-scraping or gh-got
Strengths
window.fetch polyfill
- Small, focused drop-in that follows the Fetch specification API
- MIT licensed and widely used, with about 25.8k GitHub stars
- README gives clear examples for common tasks like JSON, forms, and uploads
got
- Feature-rich, with retries, timeouts, hooks, instances, and caching listed in the README
- Documented with a quick start, options reference, and migration guides from Axios and Request
- Actively maintained according to the README, with a large dependent count it reports
Not ideal for
window.fetch polyfill
- Modern-browser-only projects, because native fetch already exists and the polyfill does nothing there
- Node.js or server-side code, because the README says it does not work under Node.js
- Apps needing redirect modes, cache options, or keepalive, because the README says these are ignored or unsupported
got
- Browser-only projects, since the comparison table marks browser support as unsupported; the README suggests Ky instead
- Projects that use CommonJS, since the package is native ESM with no CommonJS export and the README suggests converting to ESM
- Anyone needing Got v11 support, since the README says v11 is no longer maintained
Trade-offs
window.fetch polyfill
- Only implements a subset of the Fetch spec; redirect and cache options are ignored
- Needs a separate Promise polyfill for older browsers, and CORS and cookie behavior depend on the browser
- Browser-only; the README says it does not work under Node.js
got
- Node.js only; the comparison table marks browser support as not available
- Native ESM only, which may require converting older CommonJS projects
- The README itself recommends Ky for many users, so Got may not be the first choice for simple needs
Getting started
window.fetch polyfill
Install the package
npm install whatwg-fetch --saveFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between window.fetch polyfill and got?
window.fetch polyfill: A browser polyfill that adds window.fetch to older browsers that lack it. got: A Node.js library for making HTTP requests, with retries, timeouts, and JSON support. window.fetch polyfill suits front-end developers maintaining web apps that must support older browsers, while got suits node.js developers who call web apis from server-side code.
Are window.fetch polyfill and got free?
window.fetch polyfill: Free and open source. got: Free and open source.
Is window.fetch polyfill or got more popular?
window.fetch polyfill has more GitHub stars (25.8k) than got (15k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to window.fetch polyfill and got?
Other options people compare them with include axios, ky, core-js, superagent, cpp-httplib.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.