AJAX vs. Fetch: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Published on February 16, 2024
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) enables web pages to update asynchronously by exchanging data with a server. Fetch is a modern API in JavaScript for making network requests offering a more flexible & powerful way to make requests & handle response.
Key Differences
AJAX, which stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is a set of web development techniques allowing web applications to send and retrieve data from a server asynchronously, without interfering with the display and behavior of the existing page. Fetch, on the other hand, is a newer web API used for asynchronous network requests, providing a more modern and powerful alternative to AJAX, particularly in handling promises.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
AJAX primarily uses the XMLHttpRequest object for server communication and can handle different data types like XML, JSON, HTML, and text. Fetch, introduced as part of the ES6 specification, uses Promises, making it easier to write asynchronous code, and is more versatile in terms of configuring requests and handling responses.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
In terms of complexity, AJAX can be more cumbersome to write and manage, especially for complex operations and error handling. Fetch provides a cleaner, more straightforward syntax and improved error handling capabilities, simplifying the process of making network requests and processing responses.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
AJAX has been widely used since the early 2000s and is supported by all browsers, including older ones. Fetch is relatively new and may not be supported in some older browsers, but it can be polyfilled to work across different environments. Fetch also supports modern features like CORS and headers that are not as straightforward with AJAX.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
AJAX is typically used in conjunction with other technologies like HTML and CSS to create dynamic web applications. Fetch is part of the JavaScript API, providing a more unified and modern approach to handling network requests, making it a popular choice for contemporary web development.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
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Comparison Chart
Basic Function
Asynchronous data exchange with server
Making network requests asynchronously
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Feb 16, 2024
Browser Support
Broad, including older browsers
Modern browsers, with polyfills for older ones
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Feb 16, 2024
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AJAX and Fetch Definitions
AJAX
Employs XMLHttpRequest for server interaction.
AJAX requests data using XMLHttpRequest.
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Jan 21, 2024
Fetch
Uses Promises for network communication.
Fetch API simplifies handling asynchronous requests.
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Jan 21, 2024
AJAX
Integral to interactive web applications.
AJAX revolutionized web app development.
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Jan 21, 2024
AJAX
Allows web pages to update without reloading.
We use AJAX for live search results.
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Jan 21, 2024
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Fetch
To come or go after and take or bring back
The puppy fetched the stick that I had tossed.
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Jan 19, 2024
AJAX
Compatible with legacy browsers.
AJAX works well in older web browsers.
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Jan 21, 2024
AJAX
The son of Telamon of Salamis and a warrior of great stature and prowess who fought against Troy.
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Jan 19, 2024
AJAX
The son of Ileus of Locris and a warrior of small stature and arrogant character who fought against Troy.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To obtain as price or equivalent; to sell for.
If you put some new tyres on it, and clean it up a bit, the car should fetch about $5,000
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
(nautical) To bring or get within reach by going; to reach; to arrive at; to attain; to reach by sailing.
To fetch headway or sternway
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Fetch
(intransitive) To bring oneself; to make headway; to veer; as, to fetch about; to fetch to windward.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
(obsolete) To recall from a swoon; to revive; sometimes with to.
To fetch a man to
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
(archaic) To accomplish; to achieve; to perform, with certain objects or actions.
To fetch a compass;
To fetch a leap
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To make (a pump) draw water by pouring water into the top and working the handle.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
The object of fetching; the source of an attraction; a force, propensity, or quality which attracts.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
An area over which wind is blowing (over water) and generating waves.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
The length of such an area; the distance a wave can travel across a body of water (without obstruction).
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
The apparition of a living person; a person's double, the sight of which is supposedly a sign that they are fated to die soon, a doppelganger; a ghost]], a spectre.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To bear toward the person speaking, or the person or thing from whose point of view the action is contemplated; to go and bring; to get.
Time will run back and fetch the age of gold.
He called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To obtain as price or equivalent; to sell for.
Our native horses were held in small esteem, and fetched low prices.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To recall from a swoon; to revive; - sometimes with to; as, to fetch a man to.
Fetching men again when they swoon.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To reduce; to throw.
The sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To bring to accomplishment; to achieve; to make; to perform, with certain objects; as, to fetch a compass; to fetch a leap; to fetch a sigh.
I'll fetch a turn about the garden.
He fetches his blow quick and sure.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To bring or get within reach by going; to reach; to arrive at; to attain; to reach by sailing.
Meantine flew our ships, and straight we fetchedThe siren's isle.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To cause to come; to bring to a particular state.
They could n't fetch the butter in the churn.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
To bring one's self; to make headway; to veer; as, to fetch about; to fetch to windward.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
A stratagem by which a thing is indirectly brought to pass, or by which one thing seems intended and another is done; a trick; an artifice.
Every little fetch of wit and criticism.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
The apparation of a living person; a wraith.
The very fetch and ghost of Mrs. Gamp.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
The unobstructed region of the ocean over which the wind blows to generate waves.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
Go or come after and bring or take back;
Get me those books over there, please
Could you bring the wine?
The dog fetched the hat
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
Be sold for a certain price;
The painting brought $10,000
The old print fetched a high price at the auction
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Jan 19, 2024
Fetch
Offers a cleaner approach to requests.
Fetch provides a more readable syntax than AJAX.
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Jan 21, 2024
Fetch
Improved error management.
Fetch makes error handling more straightforward.
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Jan 21, 2024
Fetch
Suited for modern applications.
We use Fetch in our latest web projects.
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Jan 21, 2024
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Do older browsers support AJAX?
Yes, AJAX is compatible with older browsers.
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Feb 16, 2024
Can Fetch replace AJAX?
Fetch can be used as a more modern alternative to AJAX.
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Feb 16, 2024
Can AJAX send data to a server?
Yes, AJAX can send and retrieve data asynchronously.
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Feb 16, 2024
What is XMLHttpRequest in AJAX?
It's the object AJAX uses for server communication.
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Feb 16, 2024
Is Fetch supported in all browsers?
Fetch is supported in most modern browsers.
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Feb 16, 2024
How does Fetch handle responses?
Fetch uses Promises for streamlined response processing.
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Feb 16, 2024
Does Fetch require polyfills for older browsers?
Yes, to ensure compatibility with older browsers.
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Feb 16, 2024
Can I use AJAX with frameworks like React?
Yes, though Fetch is more commonly used in modern frameworks.
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Feb 16, 2024
What makes Fetch more modern than AJAX?
Fetch's use of Promises and cleaner syntax.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
Can AJAX update a web page without reloading?
Yes, that's a key feature of AJAX.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
Are AJAX and Fetch mutually exclusive?
No, they can be used together, but Fetch is often preferred.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
Do AJAX and Fetch serve the same purpose?
Both are used for asynchronous network requests, but Fetch offers a more modern approach.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 16, 2024
Is JSON or XML better with AJAX?
JSON is more commonly used due to its simplicity.
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Feb 16, 2024
Is error handling different in Fetch?
Fetch provides more straightforward error handling with Promises.
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Feb 16, 2024
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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