jQuery Ajax Methods

Beginner

7 min read

Updated: Nov 2026

24 method guides

Method index

Index

About This Index

This page is the jQuery Ajax index for the tutorial track. Each row links to a full guide with syntax, examples, and FAQs.

Learn the jQuery overview on /jquery. Use this page when you need an Ajax API such as $.ajax(), $.get(), or .load().

Beginner path.

Start with $.ajax(), then $.get() / $.post(), then .load() and $.param()—add ajaxStart / ajaxStop when you need a shared spinner.

Syntax

How to Call an Ajax Method

Use $.ajax() for full control, or a shorthand—chain done() / fail() on the returned jqXHR:

jQuery

$.ajax({
  url: "/api/users",
  method: "GET",
  dataType: "json"
}).done(function (data) {
  console.log(data);
}).fail(function (xhr) {
  console.error(xhr.status);
});

$.get("/api/users", function (data) { /* … */ });
$.post("/api/users", { name: "Ada" });
$.getJSON("/api/users.json");
$("#panel").load("/partials/card.html");
$.param({ a: 1, b: [2, 3] }); // "a=1&b[]=2&b[]=3"

Browse

jQuery Ajax Methods Table

All Ajax method and event guides in this jQuery tutorial series (24 tutorials).

Core Ajax API

4 methods

Make HTTP requests with $.ajax() — the foundation behind $.get(), $.post(), and .load().

Method	Description	Tutorial
`$.ajax()`	Core Ajax call — configure URL, method, data, and dataType, then chain done(), fail(), and always() on jqXHR.	Try it
`$.ajaxPrefilter()`	Hook that runs before each $.ajax() — tweak options, abort duplicates, or filter by dataType.	Try it
`$.ajaxSetup()`	Set default Ajax options for later requests — prefer explicit options or a wrapper in new code.	Try it
`$.ajaxTransport()`	Register a custom send/abort transport — advanced path for non-standard dataTypes.	Try it

Ajax Shorthands

5 methods

One-line helpers built on $.ajax() — GET, POST, JSON, script, and HTML injection.

Method	Description	Tutorial
`$.get()`	GET shorthand for $.ajax() — pass url, optional data, success callback, and dataType.	Try it
`$.post()`	POST shorthand for $.ajax() — send body data with url, data, success, and dataType.	Try it
`$.getJSON()`	GET JSON shorthand — dataType json is preset so the success callback receives parsed data.	Try it
`$.getScript()`	GET script shorthand — load and run a remote .js file (dataType script).	Try it
`.load()`	Fetch HTML and inject it into matched elements — optional fragment selector after a space in the URL.	Try it

Ajax Utilities

3 methods

Serialize data for query strings and request bodies before you call Ajax.

Method	Description	Tutorial
`$.param()`	Serialize objects, arrays, or form fields into a URL-encoded query string for Ajax or GET URLs.	Try it
`.serialize()`	Encode successful form controls as a query string — ready for $.post() or $.ajax().	Try it
`.serializeArray()`	Encode form controls as [{ name, value }, ...] — map or filter, then pass to $.param().	Try it

Global Ajax Events

12 methods

Watch every qualifying request from one $(document) handler — start, send, success, error, complete, stop.

Method	Description	Tutorial
`ajaxStart`	Document event when the first global Ajax request begins — pair with ajaxStop for a spinner.	Try it
`.ajaxStart()`	Legacy shorthand for binding ajaxStart — prefer $(document).on('ajaxStart', fn).	Try it
`ajaxSend`	Document event that runs before each global Ajax request is sent.	Try it
`.ajaxSend()`	Legacy shorthand for binding ajaxSend — prefer $(document).on('ajaxSend', fn).	Try it
`ajaxError`	Document event when any global Ajax request finishes with an error.	Try it
`.ajaxError()`	Legacy shorthand for binding ajaxError — prefer $(document).on('ajaxError', fn).	Try it
`ajaxSuccess`	Document event when any global Ajax request completes successfully.	Try it
`.ajaxSuccess()`	Legacy shorthand for binding ajaxSuccess — prefer $(document).on('ajaxSuccess', fn).	Try it
`ajaxComplete`	Document event when any global Ajax request finishes — success or error.	Try it
`.ajaxComplete()`	Legacy shorthand for binding ajaxComplete — prefer $(document).on('ajaxComplete', fn).	Try it
`ajaxStop`	Document event when the last global Ajax request completes — hide loading UI here.	Try it
`.ajaxStop()`	Legacy shorthand for binding ajaxStop — prefer $(document).on('ajaxStop', fn).	Try it

Frequently Asked Questions

What are jQuery Ajax methods?

They load data from the server without a full page refresh: core $.ajax(), shorthands like $.get() and $.post(), HTML injection with .load(), serializers like $.param() and .serialize(), plus global document events (ajaxStart through ajaxStop).

Should I use $.ajax() or $.get() / $.post()?

Use $.get() or $.post() for simple requests. Reach for $.ajax() when you need headers, custom methods, timeouts, converters, or fine-grained beforeSend control—the shorthands call $.ajax() under the hood.

Where do I bind global Ajax events?

Since jQuery 1.9, bind on document: $(document).on('ajaxComplete', fn). Set global: false on a single $.ajax() call to skip those events for that request only.

How is ajaxComplete different from .always()?

ajaxComplete is a global document event for every qualifying request. .always() runs only on that one jqXHR. Use global events for site-wide spinners; use .always() for per-request cleanup.

Where should I start?

Start with $.ajax(), then $.get() / $.post(), then .load() and $.param(). Add ajaxStart / ajaxStop when you need a shared loading indicator.

Start with $.ajax()

Open the core Ajax guide—syntax, examples, and FAQs.

$.ajax() tutorial →

About the author

Mari Selvan M P 🔗

Developer, cloud engineer, and technical writer

Experience 12 years building web and cloud systems
Focus Full Stack Development, AWS, and Developer Education

I write practical tutorials so students and working developers can learn by doing—from databases and APIs to deployment on AWS.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Credly)

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