axios.all vs Promise.all: Key Differences Explained

When executing concurrent HTTP requests in JavaScript applications, developers frequently encounter both axios.all and the native Promise.all method. While both approaches serve the core purpose of handling multiple asynchronous requests simultaneously, modern JavaScript standards and recent Axios updates have changed how they should be used. This guide explains how axios.all compares to Promise.all, highlights their syntax differences, and demonstrates the current best practices for managing concurrent Axios requests.

Under the Hood: The Core Difference

Under the hood, there is virtually no functional difference between axios.all and Promise.all. In earlier versions of Axios, axios.all was simply a convenience wrapper that directly called the native Promise.all method:

axios.all = function (promises) {
  return Promise.all(promises);
};

Because it was an alias rather than a custom implementation, axios.all inherited all behaviors of Promise.all, including its "fail-fast" nature—meaning if any single request rejects, the entire operation immediately rejects with that error.

The Role of axios.spread vs. Array Destructuring

Historically, axios.all was paired with a helper function called axios.spread. This helper allowed developers to split the resolved array of responses into separate arguments within the .then() callback.

Legacy Syntax (axios.all + axios.spread)

axios.all([
  axios.get('https://api.example.com/users'),
  axios.get('https://api.example.com/posts')
])
.then(axios.spread((usersResponse, postsResponse) => {
  console.log(usersResponse.data);
  console.log(postsResponse.data);
}))
.catch(error => {
  console.error('One or more requests failed:', error);
});

With the introduction of ES6 array destructuring, the need for axios.spread was eliminated. Native JavaScript handles array unpacking cleanly without auxiliary library functions.

Modern Syntax (Promise.all + Destructuring)

Promise.all([
  axios.get('https://api.example.com/users'),
  axios.get('https://api.example.com/posts')
])
.then(([usersResponse, postsResponse]) => {
  console.log(usersResponse.data);
  console.log(postsResponse.data);
})
.catch(error => {
  console.error('One or more requests failed:', error);
});

Modern Syntax with async/await

Using async/await with Promise.all offers the cleanest and most readable pattern:

async function fetchDashboardData() {
  try {
    const [usersResponse, postsResponse] = await Promise.all([
      axios.get('https://api.example.com/users'),
      axios.get('https://api.example.com/posts')
    ]);

    console.log(usersResponse.data);
    console.log(postsResponse.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to fetch data:', error);
  }
}

Deprecation Status

In modern versions of Axios (v0.27.0 and later, including v1.x+), axios.all and axios.spread have been deprecated in favor of native JavaScript features.

Key reasons to use native methods instead of axios.all:

• Zero Overhead: Native methods eliminate redundant library wrappers.
• Standardization: Promise.all is universally understood across all JavaScript environments and promise-based libraries, not just Axios.
• Future-Proofing: Deprecated methods may be completely removed in future major releases of Axios.

Alternative: Promise.allSettled

When using Promise.all, if one request fails, none of the successful responses are returned in the .then() block. If you need all requests to complete regardless of whether some succeed or fail, use the native Promise.allSettled method:

const results = await Promise.allSettled([
  axios.get('https://api.example.com/users'),
  axios.get('https://api.example.com/posts')
]);

results.forEach((result) => {
  if (result.status === 'fulfilled') {
    console.log('Success:', result.value.data);
  } else {
    console.error('Failed:', result.reason);
  }
});

Summary

axios.all is simply an obsolete alias for Promise.all. For all new development and refactoring, use native Promise.all combined with ES6 destructuring or async/await to handle concurrent HTTP requests with Axios.