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ReferenceError: fetch is not defined in import OpenAI from 'openai'

Freshabout 21 hours ago
Mar 14, 20260 views
Confidence Score56%
56%

Problem

Hello there! There seems to have been a few issues around this that have been resolved recently, but I'm still getting it so thought I would share just in case it's something different. Confirm this is a Node library issue and not an underlying OpenAI API issue - [X] This is an issue with the Node library Describe the bug When building and running the OpenAI library in our NestJS API, we can do so locally with no issue ; we can communicate with it and get responses etc. However, we have a Jest testing suite, and when trying to test, it fails with: ReferenceError: fetch is not defined 1 | import {Injectable} from "@nestjs/common"; 2 | import {ChatCompletionMessageParam} from "openai/resources/chat"; > 3 | import OpenAI from 'openai'; at Object.<anonymous> (../../../../node_modules/openai/_shims/fetch.js:8:17) at Object.<anonymous> (../../../../node_modules/openai/core.js:64:17) at Object.<anonymous> (../../../../node_modules/openai/src/index.ts:116:7) To Reproduce 1. Create a NestJS API 2. Install the openai library via npm 3. Create a controller that returns a response when a message is passed through via POST 4. Create a test suite in Jest to test this endpoint 5. Error occurs Code snippets _No response_ OS macOS Node version Node v18.17.1 Library version openai 4.6.0

Error Output

Error: fetch is not defined

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1 Fix

Canonical Fix
Unverified Fix
New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Implement Node Fetch Polyfill for Jest Tests

Low Risk

The error 'ReferenceError: fetch is not defined' occurs because the 'fetch' API is not available in Node.js by default. The OpenAI library relies on 'fetch' for making HTTP requests, which is available in browser environments but not in Node.js. Jest tests run in a Node environment, leading to this issue when the OpenAI library is used.

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  1. 1

    Install Node Fetch Polyfill

    To resolve the 'fetch is not defined' error, install the 'node-fetch' package, which provides a compatible 'fetch' implementation for Node.js.

    bash
    npm install node-fetch
  2. 2

    Import Node Fetch in Jest Setup

    Create or update your Jest setup file to include the 'node-fetch' polyfill. This ensures that 'fetch' is available globally during your tests.

    typescript
    import fetch from 'node-fetch'; global.fetch = fetch;
  3. 3

    Configure Jest to Use the Setup File

    Ensure that your Jest configuration points to the setup file where 'fetch' is polyfilled. This can be done by adding a 'setupFilesAfterEnv' entry in your Jest configuration.

    javascript
    module.exports = { setupFilesAfterEnv: ['<rootDir>/jest.setup.js'] };
  4. 4

    Run Your Jest Tests

    After making the above changes, run your Jest tests again to verify that the 'fetch is not defined' error is resolved.

    bash
    npm test
  5. 5

    Verify OpenAI Library Functionality

    Check that the OpenAI library functions correctly in your tests by asserting expected responses from your API endpoints.

    typescript
    expect(response).toEqual(expectedResponse);

Validation

Confirm that the tests run successfully without the 'fetch is not defined' error. Additionally, validate that the OpenAI API calls return expected results in your Jest tests.

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Environment

Submitted by

AC

Alex Chen

2450 rep

Tags

openaigptllmapibug