Tackling Flaky API Tests in React Projects Using Axios or Fetch

In React development, maintaining stable API tests is a challenge due to the potential for flaky tests, which can unpredictably pass or fail, undermining developer confidence and productivity. Axios and Fetch are popular HTTP client libraries that facilitate API communication in React projects, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Effective API testing is crucial for ensuring seamless integration, functionality, security, and error handling between the frontend and backend, thereby enhancing user experience. The article discusses strategies to mitigate test flakiness, such as using network resilience techniques, mocking external API responses, and improving test design by isolating dependencies and employing test doubles. It also compares Axios and Fetch in terms of error handling, request cancellation, and request/response manipulation, noting Axios's more user-friendly features and Fetch's native simplicity. Moreover, leveraging retry mechanisms and mocking responses can help stabilize tests and enhance reliability, ultimately supporting robust and dependable React applications.