node-fetch: ECONNREFUSED on NodeJS 18

When using node-fetch on NodeJS 18, got ECONNREFUSED

// test.mjs
import { Server } from '@hapi/hapi'
import fetch from 'node-fetch'

const start = async () => {
  const server = new Server({
    port: 3344,
  })

  server.route([
    {
      method: 'GET',
      path: '/',
      handler: async () => {
        return JSON.stringify({ value: 'hello' })
      }
    }
  ])
  await server.start()


  const response = await fetch('http://localhost:3344')
  console.log('response', await response.text())
}

start()

Steps to reproduce the behavior:

Run the above in Node 18.7.0. It fails with:

FetchError: request to http://localhost:3344/ failed, reason: connect ECONNREFUSED ::1:3344
    at ClientRequest.<anonymous> (file:///D:/code/mocktomata/node_modules/node-fetch/src/index.js:108:11)
    at ClientRequest.emit (node:events:513:28)
    at Socket.socketErrorListener (node:_http_client:481:9)
    at Socket.emit (node:events:513:28)
    at emitErrorNT (node:internal/streams/destroy:151:8)
    at emitErrorCloseNT (node:internal/streams/destroy:116:3)
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:82:21) {
  type: 'system',
  errno: 'ECONNREFUSED',
  code: 'ECONNREFUSED',
  erroredSysCall: 'connect'
}

Expected behavior

The same script will work in NodeJS 16.

Video repro: https://youtu.be/PgyYPw4RCoI

Your Environment

software	version
node-fetch	2.6.7, 3.2.10
node	18.7.0
@hapi/hapi	20.2.2
Operating System	Windows

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 2 years ago
Reactions: 33
Comments: 19 (2 by maintainers)

Commits related to this issue

use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost which seems to cause issues in Node.js 18 see https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624 — committed to danielpeintner/thingweb.node-wot by danielpeintner 2 years ago
Fix deps for node 18 - Also using node-fetch with node 18 => cannot use localhost anymore - https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624 — committed to sos-lapsikyla/ylitse-app by rottabonus a year ago
use server address instead of localhost there is a bug in node-fetch that requires to don't use localhost node-fetch/node-fetch#1624 — committed to vercel/vercel by Kikobeats a year ago
use server address instead of localhost there is a bug in node-fetch that requires to don't use localhost node-fetch/node-fetch#1624 — committed to vercel/vercel by Kikobeats a year ago
use server address instead of localhost there is a bug in node-fetch that requires to don't use localhost node-fetch/node-fetch#1624 — committed to vercel/vercel by Kikobeats a year ago
Add an extra step to setup NODE_OPTIONS To add `export NODE_OPTIONS=--dns-result-order=ipv4first` and so that `localhost` resolves to 127.0.0.1 (IPv6) in the case when /etc/hosts also has a mapping f... — committed to serlo/api.serlo.org by eliflores a year ago
Setting NODE_OPTIONS=--dns-result-order=ipv4first when running yarn pacts In the failures for the Pacts workflow, the error seems related to node not being able to connect to the server running on th... — committed to serlo/database-layer by eliflores a year ago
Use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost - https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/26154 - https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624 - https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/40702 — committed to davidmyersdev/octo by davidmyersdev 9 months ago
Use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost - https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/26154 - https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624 - https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/40702 — committed to davidmyersdev/octo by davidmyersdev 9 months ago
possibly fixes node ci tool based on https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624 — committed to synergylabs/BuildingDepot by sud335 5 months ago
fix: use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost for healthcheck for compatibility with node 18. See https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624. — committed to gatehill/imposter-js by outofcoffee 5 months ago
fix: use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost for healthcheck for compatibility with node 18. See https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624. — committed to gatehill/imposter-js by outofcoffee 5 months ago
fix: use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost for healthcheck for compatibility with node 18. See https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624. — committed to gatehill/imposter-js by outofcoffee 5 months ago
fix: use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost for healthcheck for compatibility with node 18. See https://github.com/node-fetch/node-fetch/issues/1624. — committed to gatehill/imposter-js by outofcoffee 5 months ago

Most upvoted comments

I started seeing this and the only solution I found was to use the IP 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost. I’m not sure why

+196

tnwanna on Aug 31, 2022

there was a breaking change in node v17 that changed the default IP resolving. ip6 is preferred by default. You can add dns.setDefaultResultOrder('ipv4first') at the beginning of you app and that should fix the problem (https://nodejs.org/api/dns.html#dnssetdefaultresultorderorder)

+41

dginzbourg on Jan 29, 2023

I started seeing this and the only solution I found was to use the IP 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost. I’m not sure why

This would be since localhost resolves to ::1 which is the “equivalent” of 127.0.0.1 but in IPv6 instead of IPv4. Since the server seems to be listening only on IPv4 this means that the connection will be refused when trying ::1.

I believe that this error exists when using the builtin http module as well, and probably has to do with how Node.js does dns resolving…

If you want to move forward with this I would suggest first seeing if you can reproduce the same issue using the builtin http module, and if you can, file an issue with Node.js directly. If this cannot be reproduced in the builtin http module, than it is most likely something in this module that messes this up.

+34

LinusU on Sep 2, 2022

Can confirm this issue on Node version v18.8.0. I am getting the very same error on different port 8080. Calling with curl works, calling from node results in ECONNREFUSED as described above.

I can also confirm that the very same code works on node v16.17.0. I can also confirm that changing localhost to 127.0.0.1 fixes the issue.

OS: NixOS, Linux. Node-fetch: 2.6.7

+28

danielstaleiny on Sep 11, 2022

why was this closed? we are still having this issue when using ‘localhost’

+19

simonmaass on Oct 17, 2023

Node.js 18+ has built-in fetch. You just need to remove this package.

+11

gcacars on Apr 4, 2023

I started seeing this and the only solution I found was to use the IP 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost. I’m not sure why

Changing ‘localhost’ to ‘127.0.0.1’ has fixed the problem for me.

+10

Abdona on Feb 21, 2023

I changed localhost to 127.0.0.1, I don’t know what is the reason but work successfully

jatoni on Mar 30, 2023

Is there anyone having this issue in Ubuntu 20.04.6 with node version 18.19.0?

tahmidrahman-dsi on Jan 17, 2024

I have the issue with node v18.17.1. Neither setting ip to 127.0.0.1 or dns.setDefaultResultOrder(‘ipv4first’); fixes the problem.

lispercat on Mar 14, 2024

Indeed it is issue with nodejs. https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/40702

danielstaleiny on Oct 10, 2022

I confirmed this fixed the issue

require('node:dns').setDefaultResultOrder('ipv4first');

0xtrou on Apr 18, 2024

I started seeing this and the only solution I found was to use the IP 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost. I’m not sure why

works on node 16 but above solution doesn’t work even if the IP were changed to localhost

meistens on Jan 14, 2023

I started seeing this and the only solution I found was to use the IP 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost. I’m not sure why

That worked for me!

hasanur-rahman079 on Nov 26, 2022

I experience the same issue, I use nvm for Windows and same code works properly for 16.17.0

avivnakar on Nov 15, 2022

Calling the server using curl is working, showing it is not a problem of @hapi/hapi:

curl http://localhost:3344 -v
*   Trying 127.0.0.1:3344...
* Connected to localhost (127.0.0.1) port 3344 (#0)
> GET / HTTP/1.1
> Host: localhost:3344
> User-Agent: curl/7.83.1
> Accept: */*
>
* Mark bundle as not supporting multiuse
< HTTP/1.1 200 OK
< content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8
< cache-control: no-cache
< content-length: 17
< accept-ranges: bytes
< Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2022 07:14:03 GMT
< Connection: keep-alive
< Keep-Alive: timeout=5
<
{"value":"hello"}* Connection #0 to host localhost left intact

Also, running the server in NodeJS 16.16.0, the curl call gives identical result, showing @hapi/hapi works identically in both environment.

unional on Aug 12, 2022