node.js check if a remote URL exists

Question

How do I check to see if a URL exists without pulling it down? I use the following code, but it downloads the whole file. I just need to check that it exists.

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Answer 1

If you're using axios, you can fetch the head like:

const checkUrl = async (url) => {
  try {
    await axios.head(fullUrl);
    return true;
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.response.status >= 400) {
      return false;
    }
  }
}

You may want to customise the status code range for your requirements e.g. 401 (Unauthorized) could still mean a URL exists but you don't have access.