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React Native Academy · Lesson

Making GET Requests with Axios

Install Axios, make a GET request to a public API inside useEffect, store the response in state, and render the fetched data in a FlatList.

Making GET Requests with Axios is a free React Native Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 2 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the React Native Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Why Axios Over Fetch?

fetch is built into React Native but requires boilerplate: manually calling .json(), checking response.ok for HTTP errors, and handling timeouts. Axios is an HTTP client library that automatically parses JSON responses, throws on HTTP error status codes, supports request timeouts natively, and provides a clean interceptor API for global headers and error handling.

Installing Axios

Add Axios to your project with npm or yarn. It has no native dependencies, so no additional linking steps are required for either Expo or bare React Native projects.

npm install axios
# or
yarn add axios

Your First GET Request

Call axios.get(url) to make a GET request. It returns a Promise that resolves to a response object. The response body is already parsed as JSON and available on response.data. You do not need to call .json() as you would with fetch.

import axios from 'axios';

axios.get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts')
  .then((response) => {
    console.log(response.data); // parsed JSON array
  })
  .catch((error) => {
    console.error(error.message);
  });

Axios GET Inside useEffect

Combine Axios with useEffect to fetch data when the component mounts. Store the response data in state with useState. Handle errors and show a loading indicator while the request is in flight. The empty dependency array ensures the fetch only happens once on mount.

function PostsScreen() {
  const [posts, setPosts] = useState([]);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);

  useEffect(() => {
    axios.get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts')
      .then((res) => setPosts(res.data))
      .catch((err) => console.error(err))
      .finally(() => setLoading(false));
  }, []);

  if (loading) return <ActivityIndicator />;
  return <FlatList data={posts} keyExtractor={(p) => String(p.id)} renderItem={({ item }) => <Text>{item.title}</Text>} />;
}

Async/Await with Axios

Axios works naturally with async/await. Define an async function inside the useEffect callback, call it immediately, and wrap the Axios call in a try/catch block. Do not make the useEffect callback itself async — instead, define the async function inside and call it.

useEffect(() => {
  const fetchPosts = async () => {
    try {
      const response = await axios.get('/posts');
      setPosts(response.data);
    } catch (error) {
      setError(error.message);
    } finally {
      setLoading(false);
    }
  };

  fetchPosts();
}, []);

Creating an Axios Instance

Create a shared Axios instance with a baseURL and default headers. Every request made with this instance automatically uses these defaults. This avoids repeating the full URL in every component and makes it easy to update the base URL or add an authorization header in one place.

// api/client.js
import axios from 'axios';

const client = axios.create({
  baseURL: 'https://api.myapp.com/v1',
  timeout: 10000,
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
});

export default client;

// Usage: just the path
client.get('/posts') // → GET https://api.myapp.com/v1/posts

Sending Query Parameters

Pass query string parameters via the params option in the Axios config object. Axios serializes the params object and appends them to the URL automatically. This is cleaner than manually building query strings and URL-encoding values.

// Request: GET /posts?userId=1&_limit=5
const response = await axios.get('/posts', {
  params: {
    userId: 1,
    _limit: 5,
  },
});

console.log(response.data); // array of up to 5 posts by userId 1

Adding Authorization Headers

Attach a bearer token to requests either globally via an Axios instance default or per-request via the config object. Use Axios request interceptors to automatically attach a token stored in AsyncStorage or an auth context without modifying every individual request.

// Per-request
axios.get('/user/profile', {
  headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer ' + token },
});

// Global via interceptor
client.interceptors.request.use((config) => {
  config.headers.Authorization = 'Bearer ' + getToken();
  return config;
});

Reading the Response Structure

Every Axios response object has a consistent shape: data for the parsed response body, status for the HTTP status code, statusText, and headers. Unlike fetch, Axios automatically throws an error for 4xx and 5xx status codes, so the .catch or try/catch handles both network errors and HTTP errors.

const response = await axios.get('/posts/1');
console.log(response.data);        // { id: 1, title: '...' }
console.log(response.status);      // 200
console.log(response.headers);     // { 'content-type': 'application/json' }

Cancelling Axios Requests

To cancel an Axios request in the useEffect cleanup function, pass an AbortController signal (Axios supports this natively from v0.22+). When the component unmounts, call controller.abort() to cancel any in-flight request and prevent state updates on unmounted components.

useEffect(() => {
  const controller = new AbortController();

  axios.get('/posts', { signal: controller.signal })
    .then((res) => setPosts(res.data))
    .catch((err) => {
      if (!axios.isCancel(err)) setError(err.message);
    });

  return () => controller.abort();
}, []);

Rendering Fetched Data in FlatList

Once data is stored in state, pass it directly to FlatList's data prop. Because the state update triggers a re-render, the FlatList automatically shows the new data. This one-way data flow — fetch → state → render — is the core React pattern for data display.

return (
  <FlatList
    data={posts}
    keyExtractor={(item) => String(item.id)}
    renderItem={({ item }) => (
      <View style={styles.row}>
        <Text style={styles.title}>{item.title}</Text>
        <Text style={styles.body} numberOfLines={2}>{item.body}</Text>
      </View>
    )}
  />
);

Quick Check

Test your understanding of making GET requests with Axios from this lesson.

Lesson Recap

In this lesson you learned: axios.get returns a Promise that resolves to response.data as parsed JSON, create an Axios instance with a baseURL and default headers for reuse across components, and pass an AbortController signal to cancel in-flight requests in useEffect cleanup. Next up we handle loading and error states for a polished user experience.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Making GET Requests with Axios” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Making GET Requests with Axios” is free to read here on the web, and the React Native Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the React Native Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Making GET Requests with Axios”?

Install Axios, make a GET request to a public API inside useEffect, store the response in state, and render the fetched data in a FlatList. You practise React Native Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start React Native Academy?

No prior experience is required. React Native Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 2 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Making GET Requests with Axios” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this React Native Academy lesson?

Yes. Every React Native Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. The useEffect Hook and Dependency Arrays
  2. Making GET Requests with Axios
  3. Handling Loading and Error States
  4. POST, PUT, and DELETE with Axios
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