Swift HTTP Client Libraries
HTTP client libraries for Swift are optimized for iOS/macOS application development. URLSession is the standard framework, Alamofire provides rich features and ease of use, and Moya offers an abstraction layer. Integration with the Combine framework enables reactive programming.
GitHub Star Comparison
| No | Name | GitHub Stars | Description | Trend | License | Type | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | URLSession | - | Standard HTTP client API for iOS/macOS provided by Apple. Part of Foundation framework, achieving native high-performance HTTP communication. Built-in async/await support, HTTP/2 compatibility, background transfer, detailed configuration options, and cookie management. | Maintains solid position as foundational HTTP client in Swift/iOS development in 2025. First choice due to official Apple support, native integration, and performance optimization. Particularly recommended when dependency minimization or Apple platform-specific features are needed. | Apple | Standard Library | Official |
| 2 | Alamofire | - | Most popular third-party HTTP networking library for Swift. Built on URLSession while providing more user-friendly and elegant API. Chainable requests, automatic retry, response validation, JSON serialization, and Swift Concurrency support. | Maintains overwhelming popularity with adoption in approximately 70% of Swift HTTP communication library projects in 2025. Complete Swift 5 support, achieving 50 million downloads on GitHub. Widely adopted from enterprise development to startups, serving as de facto standard for Swift HTTP libraries. | MIT | Feature-rich | Official |
| 3 | Moya | - | Network abstraction library for Swift. Provides type-safe API definition and network layer abstraction as wrapper around Alamofire. Achieves testable and maintainable network layer through protocol-oriented design. RxSwift and Combine integration support. | Continues as important choice for large-scale Swift application development in 2025. Particularly valued for architecture organization, test ease, and API management perspectives. Selection made according to project scale and requirements through differentiation with direct Alamofire usage. | MIT | Type-safe abstraction | Official |
| 4 | Agent | - | Promise-based HTTP client for Swift. Supports reactive programming patterns through integration with Combine framework. Simple configuration based on URLRequest objects, functional programming approach, and Swift Concurrency support. | Adopted in projects emphasizing functional and reactive programming in modern Swift development in 2025. Achieves declarative and maintainable network code through utilization of Combine and Swift Concurrency. Meets demand for specific architectural patterns. | MIT | Promise/Reactive | Official |