Node.js 18.x: What's New, Release History & EOL Status

What Is New in Node.js 18?

Global fetch() -- HTTP Requests Without npm install

Node.js 18 includes fetch() in the global scope without any import. Under the hood it uses the undici library. You can make HTTP/HTTPS requests from server-side code using the exact same API as browsers.

const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data');
const json = await res.json();
console.log(json);

This marks a shift in Node.js philosophy -- instead of npm packages filling browser API gaps, Node itself ships those APIs. The node-fetch package remains relevant for older versions but is no longer needed in v18+.

Built-in Test Runner -- node:test

The node:test module provides a native test runner with TAP output, subtests, and async support. No Jest, Mocha, or Tap install required for simple test suites.

import test from 'node:test';
import assert from 'node:assert';

test('adds correctly', () => {
  assert.strictEqual(1 + 1, 2);
});

test('async test', async () => {
  const result = await Promise.resolve(42);
  assert.strictEqual(result, 42);
});

For v18 this is experimental, but the API is stable enough to use for new projects. The runner integrates with node:assert and produces TAP output readable by most CI systems.

Web Streams API in Node.js Core

WHATWG Streams (ReadableStream, WritableStream, TransformStream) are available as globals in Node.js 18. These are the same streaming primitives used in browsers, enabling isomorphic streaming code.

The connection between Node.js stream.Readable/stream.Writable and the WHATWG streams is handled via stream.Readable.toWeb() and stream.Readable.fromWeb().

New JavaScript Features via V8 10.2

Class static initialization blocks let you run setup code inside a class body. Array.prototype.findLast() and findLastIndex() search from the end of an array. Error.cause lets you chain error context without losing the original error.

const arr = [1, 2, 3, 4];
console.log(arr.findLast(x => x % 2 === 0)); // 4

try { /* ... */ } catch (err) {
  throw new Error('DB query failed', { cause: err });
}