HTTP client timeout with AbortController (fetch)

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                  export async function fetchWithTimeout(input: RequestInfo, init: RequestInit & { timeoutMs?: number } = {}) {
  const controller = new AbortController();
  const timeoutMs = init.timeoutMs ?? 5_000;

  const t = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), timeoutMs);
  try {
    const res = await fetch(input, { ...init, signal: controller.signal });
    return res;
  } finally {
    clearTimeout(t);
  }
}

Unbounded network calls eventually will hang, and then your Node process gets stuck with slow requests chewing up the connection pool. I wrap fetch with an AbortController timeout so every outbound call has an upper bound. The key is distinguishing between a timeout and an HTTP error so you can decide what to retry. I also attach request ids and log the upstream hostname and duration. In practice, consistent timeouts are one of the highest-leverage reliability changes you can make, because they turn an unbounded failure mode into a controlled one. Once timeouts are consistent, you can tune retries and circuit breakers with real data.

Mateo Rodriguez

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HTTP client timeout with AbortController (fetch)

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