Using ArrayBuffer:For smaller files, you can read the entire file into memory.
Headers: Send authentication tokens or define content types.
The fetch function accepts a second argument: an options object. This allows you to customize the download behavior. Method: Specify GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE. nodejs download fetch
const response = await fetch('example.com');const data = await response.json();console.log(data); Downloading Files and Binary Data
Historically, Node.js used the http and https modules. These were powerful but verbose and difficult to use. To simplify things, the community created libraries. However, starting with Node.js v17.5.0, a native implementation of the Fetch API—based on the undici library—was introduced. As of Node.js v18, this feature is stable and enabled by default, bringing web-standard compatibility to the server side. How to Download Data Using Native Fetch Using ArrayBuffer:For smaller files, you can read the
Memory Management: Use streams for any file larger than a few megabytes to prevent your Node.js process from crashing.
Using Streams for Large Files:For large downloads, streaming is more memory-efficient because it processes data in chunks rather than loading the whole file at once. This allows you to customize the download behavior
const response = await fetch('example.com');const arrayBuffer = await response.arrayBuffer();const buffer = Buffer.from(arrayBuffer);const fs = require('node:fs/promises');await fs.writeFile('image.png', buffer);