I'm prepping for a job interview and brushing up on my JavaScript knowledge. I came across XMLHttpRequest, which I remember studying but have never actually used in any of my jobs. I'm curious if XMLHttpRequest is still used in modern applications, or if it's been completely overtaken by the Fetch API and other libraries.
5 Answers
From what I've seen, XMLHttpRequest is still relevant if you need to track upload progress. Everything else can be done with Fetch nowadays. However, if you find yourself using XMLHttpRequest, it might be for some legacy system that needs it.
If they ask about XMLHttpRequest in your interview, it might indicate some outdated practices at that company. Fetch has been around for over a decade now, and it was designed to largely replace XMLHttpRequest. Most modern applications use Fetch instead.
There's one feature that Fetch lacks: it doesn't let you track upload progress like XMLHttpRequest can. So while you might need to dig into XMLHttpRequest for some modern applications, I'd say don't stress too much about it for your interview prep. You can always learn it later if necessary.
Using XMLHttpRequest in 2025 is like still coding in jQuery—technically it works, but it's not usually necessary. For new projects, it's better to use Fetch or libraries like Axios unless you're maintaining older code.
I haven't used XMLHttpRequest in ages, but it's still present in many codebases. Most developers prefer using Fetch or Axios because they offer a cleaner syntax and are more aligned with modern JS practices.
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