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  1. APIs

Introduction

The Fetch API enables you to send an HTTPS request to a server from your frontend or backend code. You can use the Fetch API to communicate with an external API to access or manage data.

With the Fetch API, you can:

  • Integrate additional functionality using a 3rd-party API.
  • Retrieve data from an external service.
  • Submit data to an external database.

The amazing Fetch API is a Velo implementation of the standard JavaScript Fetch API and works in a similar fashion.

For examples of how to use the Fetch API, see Getting Started and Accessing 3rd-Party Services with the Fetch API. For a video tutorial, see Wix Learn.

Get hands-on experience with the Fetch API on our Hello Fetch example page.

To use the Fetch API, import wixFetch from the wix-fetch module:

import wixFetch from 'wix-fetch';
javascript | Copy Code

Before you begin

Although you can use the Fetch API in frontend or backend code, it's usually best to send requests to external APIs from your backend code. This is more secure, especially if the API requires a key or other authentication, and it avoids CORS issues that can occur when sending some requests from the frontend.

The Fetch API contains two functions for sending HTTP requests: getJSON() and fetch(). For simple GET requests for retrieving a JSON object we recommend using getJSON(). For more complex requests, fetch() provides greater functionality.

The implementation of the fetch() function differs slightly depending on whether you are using it in backend or frontend code. The features documented here reflect the base functionality for both implementations. However, each implementation contains additional features:

  • In frontend code, the browser's native Fetch API is used.
  • In backend code, the node-fetch module is used.

Terminology

  • HTTP: HTTP is a standard protocol for transmitting information between a client and server. The client (your site or a site visitor's browser) sends a request to a server (an external API) and waits for a response.
  • Method: Each HTTP request specifies a method indicating the type of action being requested. For example, a GET request is used for retrieving data, and a POST request is used for submitting data.

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In This Article
  1. Before you begin
  2. Terminology