Error: The operation was aborted due to timeout (AbortSignal.timeout / TimeoutError)

What causes this error

AbortSignal.timeout(ms) creates a signal that auto-aborts after the specified time — pass it into fetch()'s signal option and the request is cancelled if it runs too long. The resulting rejection is a `DOMException` named `TimeoutError`, which looks similar to other network errors unless you inspect `.name` specifically.

The Fix

try {
  const res = await fetch('https://slow-api.example.com/data', {
    signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000), // aborts after 5s
  });
} catch (err) {
  if (err.name === 'TimeoutError') {
    console.error('Request timed out after 5s');
  } else if (err.name === 'AbortError') {
    console.error('Request was aborted manually');
  } else {
    console.error('Network error:', err.cause ?? err);
  }
}

Common causes / variations

• Setting the timeout too aggressively for an endpoint's real-world latency
• Combining a manual `AbortController` with `AbortSignal.timeout()` incorrectly (you need `AbortSignal.any([...])` to merge multiple signals)
• Not distinguishing `TimeoutError` from a generic `fetch failed` network error in error-handling logic

Related errors

See also: TypeError fetch failed ECONNRESET, connect ECONNREFUSED.