got vs ky
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A Node.js library for making HTTP requests, with retries, timeouts, and JSON support.
Open source · MIT
A tiny HTTP client for JavaScript that wraps the Fetch API with simpler calls and error handling.
The short answer
Choose got if you need…
- Node.js developers who call web APIs from server-side code
- Projects that need built-in retries, advanced timeouts, or pagination helpers
- Developers who want HTTP/2, caching, or Unix socket support in one library
- Teams already using Got who want its plugins such as got-scraping or gh-got
Choose ky if you need…
- JavaScript or TypeScript developers who already use fetch and want less boilerplate
- Projects that call a REST API and want JSON parsing and error handling in one call
- Developers who want a small package with no dependencies
- Teams that want typed responses or validation with Zod or Valibot via Standard Schema
Side-by-side
| got | ky | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 15k | 17.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 7 days ago | 28 days ago |
What each one is
got
Got is a JavaScript library that lets Node.js programs send HTTP requests to web servers and APIs. It handles common chores such as JSON bodies, retries on failure, timeouts, redirects, and progress events so you write less boilerplate. The README also points readers to Ky, a related library by the same author, for most users who need browser support or a smaller package.
ky
Ky is a small JavaScript library for making HTTP requests, such as loading data from or sending data to a web server. It builds on the browser's built-in fetch function and adds conveniences like JSON handling, automatic retries, timeouts, and treating error status codes as errors. The README says it has no dependencies and works in modern browsers, Node.js, Bun, and Deno.
Best for
got
- Node.js developers who call web APIs from server-side code
- Projects that need built-in retries, advanced timeouts, or pagination helpers
- Developers who want HTTP/2, caching, or Unix socket support in one library
- Teams already using Got who want its plugins such as got-scraping or gh-got
ky
- JavaScript or TypeScript developers who already use fetch and want less boilerplate
- Projects that call a REST API and want JSON parsing and error handling in one call
- Developers who want a small package with no dependencies
- Teams that want typed responses or validation with Zod or Valibot via Standard Schema
Strengths
got
- Feature-rich, with retries, timeouts, hooks, instances, and caching listed in the README
- Documented with a quick start, options reference, and migration guides from Axios and Request
- Actively maintained according to the README, with a large dependent count it reports
ky
- Small package with no dependencies, according to the README
- Adds retries, timeouts, hooks, and error handling on top of plain fetch
- Typed responses: .json() defaults to unknown rather than any
Not ideal for
got
- Browser-only projects, since the comparison table marks browser support as unsupported; the README suggests Ky instead
- Projects that use CommonJS, since the package is native ESM with no CommonJS export and the README suggests converting to ESM
- Anyone needing Got v11 support, since the README says v11 is no longer maintained
ky
- People who are not writing JavaScript or TypeScript code, since this is a code library
- Projects that need a feature the README does not mention, such as a built-in cookie jar, because the README does not cover that
- Anyone needing to support environments without fetch support, since Ky is built on the Fetch API
Trade-offs
got
- Node.js only; the comparison table marks browser support as not available
- Native ESM only, which may require converting older CommonJS projects
- The README itself recommends Ky for many users, so Got may not be the first choice for simple needs
ky
- Requires a runtime with fetch support, so it is not a fit for older environments
- The README describes the next version of Ky, so the docs may differ from the version most people install
- Some features, such as streaming request bodies, depend on browser support the README describes as limited
Getting started
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between got and ky?
got: A Node.js library for making HTTP requests, with retries, timeouts, and JSON support. ky: A tiny HTTP client for JavaScript that wraps the Fetch API with simpler calls and error handling. got suits node.js developers who call web apis from server-side code, while ky suits javascript or typescript developers who already use fetch and want less boilerplate.
Are got and ky free?
got: Free and open source. ky: Free and open source.
Is got or ky more popular?
ky has more GitHub stars (17.1k) than got (15k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to got and ky?
Other options people compare them with include axios, superagent, cpp-httplib, TanStack Query, SwiftyJSON.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.