Best library to call REST API in Typescript including best practices to call modern REST API

In TypeScript, several libraries are popular for calling REST APIs, each with its own strengths. Here are some of the best libraries to consider:

1. Axios

• Why Choose Axios: Axios is a popular HTTP client that works both in the browser and Node.js. It provides a straightforward API for making HTTP requests and supports features like interceptors, automatic JSON transformation, and request cancellation.

• TypeScript Support: Axios has excellent TypeScript support with well-defined types, making it easy to use and ensuring type safety in your requests and responses.

• Usage Example:

import axios from 'axios';

axios.get('https://api.example.com/data')
  .then(response => {
    console.log(response.data);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error(error);
  });

2. Fetch API with TypeScript

• Why Choose Fetch: The Fetch API is a built-in web API available in modern browsers and Node.js environments via the node-fetch package. It provides a simple interface for making HTTP requests.

• TypeScript Support: While the Fetch API is built-in, TypeScript requires some additional handling for error checking and typing the response data.

• Usage Example:

fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
  .then(response => {
    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error('Network response was not ok');
    }
    return response.json();
  })
  .then(data => {
    console.log(data);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error('There was a problem with the fetch operation:', error);
  });

3. Got

• Why Choose Got: Got is a robust HTTP request library for Node.js. It supports Promise-based requests, retries, timeouts, and advanced features like hooks and stream support.

• TypeScript Support: Got has strong TypeScript definitions, making it easy to integrate with TypeScript projects.

• Usage Example:

import got from 'got';

(async () => {
  try {
    const response = await got('https://api.example.com/data');
    console.log(response.body);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
})();

4. SuperAgent

• Why Choose SuperAgent: SuperAgent is a feature-rich HTTP client library that works in both browser and Node.js environments. It offers a flexible API and supports a wide range of features, including plugins.

• TypeScript Support: SuperAgent offers TypeScript support, although it may require more manual type handling compared to Axios or Got.

• Usage Example:

import superagent from 'superagent';

superagent.get('https://api.example.com/data')
  .then(response => {
    console.log(response.body);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error(error);
  });

Choosing the best library depends on your specific needs, such as whether you require browser or Node.js support, the complexity of your HTTP requests, and your preferences for error handling and configurability. For most projects, Axios and Fetch are commonly used due to their simplicity and flexibility.