10 React Axios Best Practices

React Axios is a powerful tool for making HTTP requests in React. It allows developers to make requests to external APIs and handle responses in an efficient and organized way. However, there are certain best practices that should be followed when using React Axios to ensure that the requests are made correctly and efficiently.

In this article, we will discuss 10 React Axios best practices that developers should follow when making HTTP requests in React. By following these best practices, developers can ensure that their React Axios requests are secure, efficient, and organized.

1. Use axios.create() to create an instance of axios

When you use axios.create(), it allows you to create a custom instance of Axios with a custom configuration. This is useful if you need to make multiple requests to different endpoints, or if you want to set up default headers and other settings for all your requests.

Using axios.create() also helps keep your code DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) by allowing you to reuse the same instance of Axios in multiple components. This makes it easier to maintain and debug your code since you don’t have to worry about setting up Axios each time you need to make a request.

2. Use the spread operator for multiple URL params

When making a request to an API, you may need to pass in multiple parameters. Using the spread operator allows you to easily add additional params without having to manually type out each one. This makes your code more concise and easier to read.

For example, if you wanted to make a GET request with two URL params, you could use the following syntax:
axios.get(‘/api’, {params: {…param1, …param2}})

This is much cleaner than typing out each param individually like this: axios.get(‘/api’, {params: {param1: value1, param2: value2}}).

3. Use async/await instead of .then() and .catch()

Using async/await makes your code more readable and easier to debug. It also allows you to write cleaner, more concise code that is less prone to errors. Additionally, it helps avoid the “callback hell” problem by allowing you to write asynchronous code in a synchronous manner.

Finally, using async/await can help improve performance since it eliminates the need for multiple .then() and .catch() calls. This means fewer lines of code and faster execution times.

4. Use try/catch with async/await

When using async/await, you can easily handle errors by wrapping your code in a try/catch block. This allows you to catch any errors that may occur during the request and handle them accordingly. Without this, it’s possible for an error to go unnoticed and cause unexpected behavior in your application.

Using try/catch with async/await also makes debugging easier since you can see exactly where the error occurred and what caused it. This helps you quickly identify and fix issues before they become bigger problems.

5. Use axios interceptors to handle errors globally

Axios interceptors are functions that run before a request is sent or after a response is received. This means you can use them to handle errors in one place, instead of having to write error-handling code for each individual API call.

For example, if you want to display an alert when there’s an error with any API call, you can set up an axios interceptor to do this. You can also use interceptors to add authentication headers to all requests, log the responses from your API calls, and more.

6. Set default headers using axios.defaults.headers.common

When making requests to a server, you often need to include certain headers in order for the request to be successful. For example, when sending an API request, you may need to include an authorization token or other authentication information. By setting default headers using axios.defaults.headers.common, you can ensure that all of your requests will have the same headers and won’t require you to manually set them each time. This makes it easier to maintain your code and ensures that all requests are properly authenticated.

7. Cancel HTTP requests using axios cancel token

When a user navigates away from the page or closes the browser window, any pending HTTP requests will still be running in the background. This can lead to unnecessary server load and wasted resources. To prevent this, you should use axios cancel token to cancel any pending requests when the user leaves the page.

To do this, create an axios cancel token before making your request. Then, pass it as an argument to the axios request function. When the user leaves the page, call the cancel() method on the token to cancel the request. This ensures that no further processing is done on the server side for the request.

8. Handle CORS issues using a proxy server or CORS package

When making cross-origin requests with Axios, the browser will automatically send an OPTIONS request to the server before sending the actual request. This is done to ensure that the server allows the request and that it meets all security requirements. If the server does not respond correctly, then the request will fail.

Using a proxy server or CORS package can help you avoid these issues by allowing your application to make requests without having to worry about CORS. Additionally, using a proxy server or CORS package can also improve performance since the requests are handled on the server side instead of in the browser.

9. Post data using FormData() object

FormData() is a built-in JavaScript object that allows you to easily construct key/value pairs which can be sent with an HTTP request. This makes it easier for React components to send data in the correct format, as opposed to manually constructing query strings or JSON objects. Additionally, FormData() supports file uploads, making it ideal for sending large amounts of data.

Using FormData() also helps keep your code clean and organized, since all of the data is stored in one place. Finally, Axios automatically converts the FormData() object into the appropriate format when sending the request, so there’s no need to worry about formatting the data yourself.

10. Send cookies in cross-domain requests using credentials: ‘include’

When making cross-domain requests, the browser will not send cookies by default. This means that if you are trying to access a protected resource on another domain, it won’t work unless you explicitly tell the browser to include the cookies in the request. To do this, you need to set the credentials option of Axios to ‘include’.

This is important because without setting this option, your application may be vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks. By sending the cookies with each request, you can ensure that only authenticated users have access to the resources they are requesting.