Resolving 'Uncaught (in promise) Error: Adapter http is not available in the build'

🛠️ Resolving "Uncaught (in promise) Error: Adapter 'http' is not available in the build"

When developing Chrome extensions, you may encounter the following Axios error:

Uncaught (in promise) Error: Error: Adapter 'http' is not available in the build

This article shows how to resolve it using the Fetch API and async/await.

🧩 The Problem

Chrome extension service workers don’t support XMLHttpRequest, which Axios uses by default. This leads to the error above.

✅ The Solution: Fetch API with Async/Await

Instead of Axios, use the Fetch API—natively supported in service workers—alongside async/await for readability and control.

🔧 Implementing Fetch with Async/Await

async function fetchData(url, token) {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(url, {
      method: "GET",
      credentials: "include",
      headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "Authorization": `Bearer ${token}`,
        "Cookie": token // If needed
      }
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(\`HTTP error! status: \${response.status}\`);
    }

    const data = await response.json();
    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Fetch error:", error);
    throw error;
  }
}

📥 Using the Async Function

async function handleDataFetch() {
  try {
    const data = await fetchData("https://api.example.com/data", "your-auth-token");
    console.log("Data received:", data);
    // Process your data here
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error fetching data:", error);
    // Handle errors appropriately
  }
}

handleDataFetch();

🚀 Benefits of Async/Await Approach

Readability: Synchronous-like code flow
Error Handling: Use try/catch for async and sync errors
Sequential Execution: Easily manage dependent async operations

🧠 Best Practices for Async/Await in Chrome Extensions

1. Error Handling

Wrap all fetch calls in try/catch.

2. Avoid Blocking with `await`

Use Promise.all() for parallel requests.

3. Request Timeouts

const timeout = 5000;

const fetchWithTimeout = async (url, options, timeout) => {
  const controller = new AbortController();
  const id = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), timeout);

  try {
    const response = await fetch(url, {
      ...options,
      signal: controller.signal
    });
    clearTimeout(id);
    return response;
  } catch (error) {
    clearTimeout(id);
    if (error.name === 'AbortError') {
      throw new Error('Request timed out');
    }
    throw error;
  }
};

4. Caching Responses

const cache = new Map();

async function fetchWithCache(url, token) {
  if (cache.has(url)) {
    return cache.get(url);
  }

  const data = await fetchData(url, token);
  cache.set(url, data);
  return data;
}

5. Rate Limiting

const rateLimiter = {
  lastCall: 0,
  minInterval: 1000,

  async limit(fn) {
    const now = Date.now();
    if (now - this.lastCall < this.minInterval) {
      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, this.minInterval - (now - this.lastCall)));
    }
    this.lastCall = Date.now();
    return fn();
  }
};

// Usage
await rateLimiter.limit(() => fetchData(url, token));

🧾 Conclusion

By switching to the Fetch API with async/await, you resolve the "Adapter 'http' not available" issue in Chrome Extensions and write cleaner, more maintainable code.

✅ Always test thoroughly
✅ Follow Chrome’s security guidelines
✅ Handle requests and errors carefully

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Resolving 'Uncaught (in promise) Error: Adapter http is not available in the build'