Unirest HTTP Client for Node.js

Common errors

• ReferenceError: require is not defined

  cause Attempting to use the CommonJS `require()` function in a file or project configured as an ES module.
  fix Ensure your file is a CommonJS module (`.js` extension, no `"type": "module"` in `package.json`, or explicitly using a CJS loader). If in an ESM project, use a transpiler to handle `require` or, ideally, migrate to a modern HTTP client.

• TypeError: unirest.post(...).then is not a function

  cause Attempting to use Promise-based `.then()` chaining with `unirest` version 0.6.0, which only supports callback-based asynchronous operations.
  fix Refactor your request to use the callback pattern with the `.end()` method, for example: `unirest.post(...).end(function(response){...});`. Promise support was added in Unirest v0.9.0.

• Error: Cannot find module 'unirest'

  cause The `unirest` package was not installed in the project, or Node.js cannot resolve the module path.
  fix Ensure the package is installed by running `npm install unirest` in your project's root directory. Verify that `node_modules` is present and accessible, and `unirest` is listed in `package.json`.

Warnings

• breaking The `unirest` library has been abandoned since approximately 2017 and is no longer maintained. This creates significant security risks as any discovered vulnerabilities will not be patched, and it lacks updates for new features, bug fixes, or compatibility with newer Node.js versions.
  Fix: It is strongly recommended to migrate to an actively maintained HTTP client library such as `axios`, `node-fetch`, or `undici`. Evaluate the security implications carefully before using unmaintained software in production.
• breaking Version 0.6.0 of `unirest` does not support Promises (e.g., `.then()`, `async/await`) for asynchronous operations. Its API is strictly callback-based, requiring the `.end(callback)` method to send requests and handle responses. The README excerpt incorrectly suggests Promise support for this version.
  Fix: Refactor your code to exclusively use the callback pattern with `.end(function(response){...})`. If Promise-based syntax is required, you must either upgrade to a much newer (and still unmaintained) version of `unirest` (v0.9.0+) or, preferably, migrate to a modern HTTP client library.
• gotcha Being an older library, `unirest` (v0.6.0) is a CommonJS-only package. Attempting to import it using ES module `import` syntax (`import unirest from 'unirest';`) in an ES module context will result in runtime errors like `ReferenceError: require is not defined`.
  Fix: Always use the CommonJS `require()` syntax: `const unirest = require('unirest');`. If your project is primarily ESM, consider migrating to a modern HTTP client that natively supports ES modules.
• gotcha The `unirest` package does not ship with official TypeScript definition files. Using it in a TypeScript project for version 0.6.0 will lead to type errors unless manual type declarations are provided or an external `@types/unirest` package is used (which is likely unmaintained).
  Fix: Install `@types/unirest` if a community-maintained version exists and is compatible. Otherwise, create a `declarations.d.ts` file in your project (e.g., `declare module 'unirest';`) to provide minimal typing, or create more comprehensive types yourself. For a better long-term solution, migrate to a modern, TypeScript-friendly HTTP client.

Install

• npm install unirest npm
• yarn add unirest yarn
• pnpm add unirest pnpm

Imports

• unirest
  wrong:

  import unirest from 'unirest';

  correct:

  const unirest = require('unirest');

  Unirest for Node.js is an older, CommonJS-only library. Attempting to use ES module `import` syntax will result in errors unless transpiled or configured with a CJS-ESM interoperability solution. Always use `require` for version 0.6.0.
• Request (chained methods)
  wrong:

  unirest.post(...).then(response => ...);

  correct:

  unirest.post('http://example.com').headers({...}).send({...}).end(callback);

  For version 0.6.0, Unirest operates purely on a callback-based API via the `.end()` method. Promise-based `.then()` chaining was introduced in later versions (0.9.0 onwards) and is not available in 0.6.0.
• TypeScript types
  wrong:

  import type { Unirest } from 'unirest';

  correct:

  (No native types)

  This package does not ship with official TypeScript definition files. Using `unirest` in a TypeScript project requires manual type declarations or relying on potentially outdated `@types/unirest` if available. Given the project's abandoned status, community types are unlikely to be well-maintained.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to make both POST and GET HTTP requests using Unirest 0.6.0's callback-based API. It includes basic error handling and logging of the response status and body.

const unirest = require('unirest');

// Example POST request using the callback-based API (typical for v0.6.0)
unirest.post('http://mockbin.com/request')
  .headers({'Accept': 'application/json', 'Content-Type': 'application/json'})
  .send({ "parameter": 23, "foo": "bar" })
  .end(function (response) {
    if (response.error) {
      console.error('Request failed:', response.error);
      // Log detailed error information for debugging
      if (response.error.body) console.error('Error Body:', response.error.body);
      if (response.error.status) console.error('Error Status:', response.error.status);
    } else {
      console.log('Request successful (callback style)!');
      console.log('Status:', response.status);
      console.log('Body:', response.body);
    }
  });

// Example GET request with direct callback argument (another common pattern in v0.6.0)
unirest.get('http://mockbin.com/status/200', function (response) {
  if (response.error) {
    console.error('GET Request failed:', response.error);
  } else {
    console.log('GET request successful (direct callback)!');
    console.log('Status:', response.status);
  }
});