To use a proxy with node-fetch, create a proxy-aware Node.js agent and pass it in the request’s agent option. Setting HTTP_PROXY or HTTPS_PROXY alone does not configure node-fetch. The exact agent package and import syntax must match your installed versions.
This guide shows a complete CommonJS implementation, explains HTTPS destinations and proxy authentication, covers redirects and bypass rules, and distinguishes node-fetch from native fetch and Undici.
The basic node-fetch proxy pattern
The node-fetch 3.x README documents two accepted forms for agent: an Agent instance or a function that returns an Agent. A commonly used approach is https-proxy-agent. Confirm the current constructor and compatibility for the versions installed in your project before copying the example into production.
CommonJS example
const fetch = require('node-fetch');
const { HttpsProxyAgent } = require('https-proxy-agent');
const proxyUrl = process.env.HTTPS_PROXY;
if (!proxyUrl) {
throw new Error('Set HTTPS_PROXY to your proxy URL');
}
const agent = new HttpsProxyAgent(proxyUrl);
(async () => {
const response = await fetch('https://example.com', { agent });
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status} ${response.statusText}`);
}
console.log(await response.text());
})();Set the variable in the process environment rather than committing credentials to source control. For example, provide HTTPS_PROXY through your shell, container secret, CI secret store, or deployment configuration. The value must be a proxy URL accepted by the selected agent package, such as http://proxy.example:8080 or an authenticated URL supplied by your organization.
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ES modules
When your project uses ESM, use the import form supported by your installed node-fetch and agent-package versions:
import fetch from 'node-fetch';
import { HttpsProxyAgent } from 'https-proxy-agent';
const agent = new HttpsProxyAgent(process.env.HTTPS_PROXY);
const response = await fetch('https://example.com', { agent });
console.log(await response.text());Do not assume that an import shown for one major release works unchanged in another. Check the package documentation and your package.json before changing module syntax.
HTTP versus HTTPS destinations
There are two protocols to consider: the URL you are fetching and the protocol spoken to the proxy. An HTTPS destination normally requires an agent that can establish a CONNECT tunnel through the proxy. An HTTP destination may use a different agent. Choose a package and agent class that explicitly support the combination in your deployment.
Use the right agent for the request
- HTTPS destination: use an HTTPS-capable proxy agent, as in the example above.
- HTTP destination: use an agent intended for HTTP proxying if your selected package requires one.
- Mixed destinations: provide an agent function that examines the URL and returns the appropriate agent.
For a redirect that changes from HTTP to HTTPS, a single hard-coded agent may be unsuitable. node-fetch permits an agent function, so you can select by destination URL:
const httpAgent = /* HTTP proxy agent for your package/version */;
const httpsAgent = /* HTTPS proxy agent for your package/version */;
const agent = parsedUrl => parsedUrl.protocol === 'https:'
? httpsAgent
: httpAgent;
const response = await fetch('http://example.com', { agent });The exact agent constructors are package-version dependent; verify them before using this mixed-protocol form.
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Proxy authentication and secure configuration
If the proxy requires credentials, use a secret-managed proxy URL or the authentication mechanism documented by your agent package. Never paste a real username, password, token, or private proxy hostname into a checked-in example, issue, log, or error message.
- Keep proxy values in environment variables or a secret manager.
- Restrict access to process environment and deployment logs.
- URL-encode special characters in credentials when the package expects credentials in a URL.
- Rotate credentials according to your organization’s policy.
After a failure, inspect status and error type without printing the complete proxy URL. A connection refusal usually indicates reachability or port problems; an authentication response indicates credentials or proxy policy; a TLS error can indicate an incompatible protocol or certificate-inspection setup.
Why HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY do not automatically work
node-fetch does not automatically read HTTP_PROXY or HTTPS_PROXY merely because those variables exist. They are configuration inputs only when the client or wrapper explicitly reads them. With node-fetch, construct an agent and pass it through { agent }.
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Bypass rules and organizational proxies
Many corporate proxies should not receive internal hosts, localhost, or private network ranges. Define bypass behavior in the agent or runtime mechanism you choose, and document the intended scope. A bypass that is too broad can leak requests outside company controls; one that is too narrow can make internal services unreachable.
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Test representative URLs: an external HTTPS site, an external HTTP site, an internal hostname that should bypass the proxy, and a destination that must be blocked by policy. Check the proxy’s access logs and your application’s error handling without exposing credentials.
Node.js built-in proxy support is a separate option
Recent Node.js releases document proxy support in Node’s own HTTP agents. The documentation for Node.js v26.10.0 describes enabling environment proxy handling with NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1 or --use-env-proxy, custom proxyEnv settings, proxy URL forms, and NO_PROXY patterns. The API is marked as active development, so verify the exact behavior for your runtime version.
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This runtime feature does not mean every node-fetch version will automatically honor those variables. node-fetch still uses its agent integration unless the particular combination of Node runtime, node-fetch release, and agent implementation documents otherwise. Treat runtime proxy configuration and node-fetch configuration as separate choices.
Do not confuse node-fetch, native fetch, and Undici
| Client | Proxy integration | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| node-fetch | Pass an Agent instance or agent-returning function in agent. |
node-fetch major version, module syntax, destination protocol, and agent package API. |
| Native Node.js fetch | Uses Node’s fetch implementation and runtime networking stack. | Node version and whether the documented environment-proxy feature is enabled and supported. |
| Undici | Uses a ProxyAgent supplied as a dispatcher. |
Undici documentation and the dispatcher option; do not substitute node-fetch’s agent. |
Undici’s interface is intentionally different: a proxy is configured with a dispatcher, not node-fetch’s agent option. Code written for one client is not automatically portable to the others.
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const fetch = require('node-fetch');
const { HttpsProxyAgent } = require('https-proxy-agent');
function createFetch() {
const proxy = process.env.HTTPS_PROXY;
if (!proxy) throw new Error('HTTPS_PROXY is required');
const agent = new HttpsProxyAgent(proxy);
return async function request(url, options = {}) {
const response = await fetch(url, {
...options,
agent: options.agent || agent,
});
if (!response.ok) {
const body = await response.text().catch(() => '');
throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status} from ${url}: ${body.slice(0, 200)}`);
}
return response;
};
}
(async () => {
const request = createFetch();
const response = await request('https://example.com');
console.log(await response.text());
})();Pass an explicit per-request agent when a destination needs different routing. Set reasonable request timeouts using the mechanism supported by your node-fetch version, and abort stalled requests so a dead proxy does not consume workers indefinitely.
Troubleshooting checklist
“The request ignores my proxy”
- Confirm that the code constructs an agent and passes
agentto fetch. - Do not rely on environment variables alone.
- Log the proxy host and port only, never credentials, to confirm the expected configuration loaded.
- Ensure the process is using the node-fetch instance you configured rather than native fetch or another HTTP library.
Connection refused or timeout
- Check DNS, firewall rules, port, and whether the proxy accepts connections from the application host.
- Confirm the proxy supports the destination protocol and CONNECT tunneling where required.
- Use a short timeout and retry only transient network failures, with backoff.
401, 407, or proxy-authentication failure
- Verify credentials and URL encoding.
- Check whether the proxy expects Basic, NTLM, Kerberos, a token, or an allow-list entry.
- Ask the proxy administrator whether the account may access the requested host and port.
TLS or certificate errors
- Check whether TLS is terminated and re-signed by an enterprise proxy.
- Install the organization’s trusted CA according to its security policy rather than disabling certificate verification.
- Ensure the agent’s protocol matches the proxy URL and destination.
Redirects fail after the first response
Inspect the redirect target. If it changes protocol, use an agent function that selects the correct agent for each URL, and review redirect limits and credential-forwarding behavior.
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Reusing one agent can avoid repeatedly establishing proxy connections. Keep connection pooling aligned with the proxy’s limits, and avoid unbounded concurrency that overwhelms either the proxy or destination. Measure DNS, connection, TLS, proxy queue, and server timing separately when diagnosing latency.
An organizational proxy may already provide the endpoint you need; buying a proxy service is optional, not a requirement of node-fetch. If you do use a commercial endpoint, evaluate its authorization, geography, logging policy, protocol support, rate limits, and contract terms independently.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pass a proxy URL directly to node-fetch?
No. Construct a compatible Agent and pass it with the request’s agent option; a URL by itself is not the node-fetch proxy configuration.
Is a paid proxy required?
No. An existing company or network proxy is sufficient if it permits the destination and your agent supports the required protocols.
Can I use the same proxy code with Undici?
Not unchanged. Undici uses a ProxyAgent through the dispatcher option, while node-fetch uses agent.
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