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XMLHttpRequest.open

The XMLHttpRequest method open() initializes a newly-created request, or re-initializes an existing one.

Note: Calling this method for an already active request (one for which open() has already been called) is the equivalent of calling abort().

Syntax

XMLHttpRequest.open(method, url)
XMLHttpRequest.open(method, url, async)
XMLHttpRequest.open(method, url, async, user)
XMLHttpRequest.open(method, url, async, user, password)

Parameters

method
The HTTP request method to use, such as "GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE", etc. Ignored for non-HTTP(S) URLs.
url
A DOMString representing the URL to send the request to.
async Optional
An optional Boolean parameter, defaulting to true, indicating whether or not to perform the operation asynchronously. If this value is false, the send() method does not return until the response is received. If true, notification of a completed transaction is provided using event listeners. This must be true if the multipart attribute is true, or an exception will be thrown.
Note: Synchronous requests on the main thread can be easily disruptive to the user experience and should be avoided; in fact, many browsers have deprecated synchronous XHR support on the main thread entirely. Synchronous requests are permitted in Workers.
user Optional
The optional user name to use for authentication purposes; by default, this is the null value.
password Optional
The optional password to use for authentication purposes; by default, this is the null value.

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
XMLHttpRequest
The definition of 'open()' in that specification.
Living Standard WHATWG living standard

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

Desktop
Chrome Edge Firefox Internet Explorer Opera Safari
Basic support 1 12 Yes
Yes
Starting in Firefox 30, synchronous requests on the main thread have been deprecated due to their negative impact on performance and the user experience. Therefore, the async parameter may not be false except in a Worker.
7
7
5
Implemented via ActiveXObject
Yes 1.2
Mobile
Android webview Chrome for Android Edge Mobile Firefox for Android Opera for Android iOS Safari Samsung Internet
Basic support Yes 18 Yes Yes
Yes
Starting in Firefox 30, synchronous requests on the main thread have been deprecated due to their negative impact on performance and the user experience. Therefore, the async parameter may not be false except in a Worker.
Yes Yes Yes

See also

© 2005–2018 Mozilla Developer Network and individual contributors.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/XMLHttpRequest/open