How to download a file with Node.js (without using third-party libraries)?

You can create an HTTP GET request and pipe its response into a writable file stream:

const http = require('http'); // or 'https' for https:// URLs
const fs = require('fs');

const file = fs.createWriteStream("file.jpg");
const request = http.get("http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/J---aiyznGQ/mqdefault.jpg", function(response) {
   response.pipe(file);

   // after download completed close filestream
   file.on("finish", () => {
       file.close();
       console.log("Download Completed");
   });
});

If you want to support gathering information on the command line--like specifying a target file or directory, or URL--check out something like Commander.

More detailed explanation in https://sebhastian.com/nodejs-download-file/

Speaking of handling errors, it's even better listening to request errors too. I'd even validate by checking response code. Here it's considered success only for 200 response code, but other codes might be good.

const fs = require('fs');
const http = require('http');

const download = (url, dest, cb) => {
    const file = fs.createWriteStream(dest);

    const request = http.get(url, (response) => {
        // check if response is success
        if (response.statusCode !== 200) {
            return cb('Response status was ' + response.statusCode);
        }

        response.pipe(file);
    });

    // close() is async, call cb after close completes
    file.on('finish', () => file.close(cb));

    // check for request error too
    request.on('error', (err) => {
        fs.unlink(dest, () => cb(err.message)); // delete the (partial) file and then return the error
    });

    file.on('error', (err) => { // Handle errors
        fs.unlink(dest, () => cb(err.message)); // delete the (partial) file and then return the error
    });
};

Despite the relative simplicity of this code, I would advise to use the request module as it handles many more protocols (hello HTTPS!) which aren't natively supported by http.

That would be done like so:

const fs = require('fs');
const request = require('request');

const download = (url, dest, cb) => {
    const file = fs.createWriteStream(dest);
    const sendReq = request.get(url);
    
    // verify response code
    sendReq.on('response', (response) => {
        if (response.statusCode !== 200) {
            return cb('Response status was ' + response.statusCode);
        }

        sendReq.pipe(file);
    });

    // close() is async, call cb after close completes
    file.on('finish', () => file.close(cb));

    // check for request errors
    sendReq.on('error', (err) => {
        fs.unlink(dest, () => cb(err.message)); // delete the (partial) file and then return the error
    });

    file.on('error', (err) => { // Handle errors
        fs.unlink(dest, () => cb(err.message)); // delete the (partial) file and then return the error
    });
};

EDIT:

To make it work with https, change

const http = require('http');

to

const http = require('https');

As Michelle Tilley said, but with the appropriate control flow:

var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');

var download = function(url, dest, cb) {
  var file = fs.createWriteStream(dest);
  http.get(url, function(response) {
    response.pipe(file);
    file.on('finish', function() {
      file.close(cb);
    });
  });
}

Without waiting for the finish event, naive scripts may end up with an incomplete file.

Edit: Thanks to @Augusto Roman for pointing out that cb should be passed to file.close, not called explicitly.

Don't forget to handle errors! The following code is based on Augusto Roman's answer.

var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');

var download = function(url, dest, cb) {
  var file = fs.createWriteStream(dest);
  var request = http.get(url, function(response) {
    response.pipe(file);
    file.on('finish', function() {
      file.close(cb);  // close() is async, call cb after close completes.
    });
  }).on('error', function(err) { // Handle errors
    fs.unlink(dest); // Delete the file async. (But we don't check the result)
    if (cb) cb(err.message);
  });
};