5 Best Flutter HTTP Clients in 2023

It can be hard to know where to start when you’re looking for the best Flutter libraries for HTTP requests. With so many options available, it can be tough to determine which one is right for your needs. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the best options currently available and help you decide which one is right for you.

Top-Rated Flutter Libraries for HTTP Requests

http

This package offers a powerful API for HTTP requests (a requirement by any company that needs to keep up with present-day trends). It’s composable so that developers can readily create full applications without having to worry about communication layers like http:// or https:// . It also includes a Futures-based API which is perfect for async/await operations.

import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;

var url = Uri.parse('https://example.com/whatsit/create');
var response = await http.post(url, body: {'name': 'doodle', 'color': 'blue'});
print('Response status: ${response.statusCode}');
print('Response body: ${response.body}');

print(await http.read(Uri.parse('https://example.com/foobar.txt')));

If you’re looking for an easy way to handle HTTP requests in your Flutter app, then this package is definitely worth checking out!

dio

This library supports Interceptors, Global configuration, FormData, Request Cancellation, File downloading, and Timeout.

It’s easy to use and integrate with your existing codebase. So if you’re looking for a reliable, robust, and user-friendly HTTP client for your next project, Dio is the ideal choice.

import 'package:dio/dio.dart';
void getHttp() async {
  try {
    var response = await Dio().get('http://www.google.com');
    print(response);
  } catch (e) {
    print(e);
  }
}

chopper

With Chopper, you can quickly generate efficient clients that will handle all of your HTTP requests with ease. And because it’s built using source_gen, Chopper is fully compatible with Dart and Flutter – making it the perfect choice for any mobile app development project.

retrofit

retrofit-dart is a client generator for dynamically binding endpoints to an interface. It uses Dart’s powerful static type system and expressive language features to deliver joy, code that communicates what it does quickly and clearly.

Designers are given everything they need with the package: accessors for API parameters, changes notifications when data changes on the server-side, converters for a date or other types of serialization/deserialization…retrofit-dart just works!

import 'package:json_annotation/json_annotation.dart';
import 'package:retrofit/retrofit.dart';
import 'package:dio/dio.dart';

part 'example.g.dart';

@RestApi(baseUrl: "https://5d42a6e2bc64f90014a56ca0.mockapi.io/api/v1/")
abstract class RestClient {
  factory RestClient(Dio dio, {String baseUrl}) = _RestClient;

  @GET("/tasks")
  Future<List<Task>> getTasks();
}

@JsonSerializable()
class Task {
  String? id;
  String? name;
  String? avatar;
  String? createdAt;

  Task({this.id, this.name, this.avatar, this.createdAt});

  factory Task.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) => _$TaskFromJson(json);
  Map<String, dynamic> toJson() => _$TaskToJson(this);
}

http_parser

Parsing and serializing HTTP-related formats can be a difficult task, but with the help of http_parser, it can be done quickly and easily. This platform-independent package is designed to work on both the browser and server, so you can use it in any environment.

import 'package:http_parser/http_parser.dart';

void main() {
  final date = DateTime.utc(2014, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9);
  print(date); // 2014-09-09 09:09:09.000Z

  final httpDateFormatted = formatHttpDate(date);
  print(httpDateFormatted); // Tue, 09 Sep 2014 09:09:09 GMT

  final nowParsed = parseHttpDate(httpDateFormatted);
  print(nowParsed); // 2014-09-09 09:09:09.000Z
}

It also avoids referencing any types from dart:io or dart:html, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues. Whether you’re building a website or an application, http_parser will make working with HTTP formats a breeze.