apify · barjin · Jun 23, 2026 · Jun 19, 2026 · Jun 22, 2026 · Jun 22, 2026
diff --git a/docs/guides/custom-http-client/custom-http-client.mdx b/docs/guides/custom-http-client/custom-http-client.mdx
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ The <ApiLink to="basic-crawler/class/BasicCrawler">`BasicCrawler`</ApiLink> clas
 
 Crawlee provides several HTTP client implementations out of the box:
 
-- **`GotScrapingHttpClient`** (default) - Uses the `got-scraping` library for browser-like requests with support for custom headers, browser fingerprints, and proxies.
-- **`ImpitHttpClient`** - Uses the `impit` library for making requests that closely mimic browser behavior.
+- **`ImpitHttpClient`** (default) - Uses the `impit` library for making requests that closely mimic browser behavior.
+- **`GotScrapingHttpClient`** - Uses the `got-scraping` library for browser-like requests with support for custom headers, browser fingerprints, and proxies. This was the default HTTP client in Crawlee v3.
 - **`FetchHttpClient`** - Simple implementation using the native `fetch` API (does not support proxies).
 
 ## Implementing a custom HTTP client

diff --git a/docs/package.json b/docs/package.json
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
     "@crawlee/stagehand": "workspace:*",
     "apify": "*",
     "crawlee": "workspace:*",
-    "impit": "^0.7.1",
+    "impit": "^0.14.2",
     "pino": "^9.6.0",
     "playwright-extra": "^4.3.6",
     "puppeteer-extra": "^3.3.6",

diff --git a/packages/basic-crawler/package.json b/packages/basic-crawler/package.json
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
         "@apify/timeout": "^0.3.2",
         "@apify/utilities": "^2.15.5",
         "@crawlee/core": "workspace:*",
-        "@crawlee/got-scraping-client": "workspace:*",
+        "@crawlee/http-client": "workspace:^",
         "@crawlee/types": "workspace:*",
         "@crawlee/utils": "workspace:*",
         "csv-stringify": "^6.5.2",
@@ -51,5 +51,8 @@
         "tldts": "^7.0.6",
         "tslib": "^2.8.1",
         "type-fest": "^4.41.0"
+    },
+    "optionalDependencies": {
+        "@crawlee/impit-client": "workspace:^"
     }
 }
diff --git a/packages/basic-crawler/src/internals/basic-crawler.ts b/packages/basic-crawler/src/internals/basic-crawler.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import {
     EnqueueStrategy,
     EventType,
     KeyValueStore,
+    log,
     LogLevel,
     mergeCookies,
     MissingSessionError,
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ import {
     Statistics,
     validators,
 } from '@crawlee/core';
-import { GotScrapingHttpClient } from '@crawlee/got-scraping-client';
+import { FetchHttpClient } from '@crawlee/http-client';
 import type {
     Awaitable,
     BaseHttpClient,
@@ -86,6 +87,28 @@ import { cryptoRandomObjectId } from '@apify/utilities';
 
 import { createSendRequest } from './send-request.js';
 
+class LazyDefaultHttpClient implements BaseHttpClient {
+    private _delegate?: BaseHttpClient;
+    private readonly _delegatePromise: Promise<BaseHttpClient>;
+
+    constructor(options?: { logger?: CrawleeLogger }) {
+        this._delegatePromise = import('@crawlee/impit-client')
+            .then(({ ImpitHttpClient }) => new ImpitHttpClient(options))
+            .catch(() => {
+                (options?.logger ?? log).warning(
+                    'Optional dependency @crawlee/impit-client is not installed. ' +
+                        'Falling back to native fetch — proxy support and browser fingerprinting are unavailable.',
+                );
+                return new FetchHttpClient(options);
+            });
+    }
+
+    async sendRequest(...args: Parameters<BaseHttpClient['sendRequest']>): Promise<Response> {
+        this._delegate ??= await this._delegatePromise;
+        return this._delegate.sendRequest(...args);
+    }
+}
+
 export interface BasicCrawlingContext<UserData extends Dictionary = Dictionary> extends CrawlingContext<UserData> {}
 
 /**
@@ -377,7 +400,7 @@ export interface BasicCrawlerOptions<
 
     /**
      * HTTP client implementation for the `sendRequest` context helper and for plain HTTP crawling.
-     * Defaults to a new instance of {@apilink GotScrapingHttpClient}
+     * Defaults to {@apilink ImpitHttpClient} when `@crawlee/impit-client` is installed, otherwise {@apilink FetchHttpClient}.
      */
     httpClient?: BaseHttpClient;
 
@@ -807,7 +830,7 @@ export class BasicCrawler<
                 this.requestManager = new RequestManagerTandem(requestList, () => this.openOwnedRequestQueue());
             }
 
-            this.httpClient = httpClient ?? new GotScrapingHttpClient({ logger: this.log });
+            this.httpClient = httpClient ?? new LazyDefaultHttpClient({ logger: this.log });
             this.proxyConfiguration = proxyConfiguration;
             this.statusMessageLoggingInterval = statusMessageLoggingInterval;
             this.statusMessageCallback = statusMessageCallback as StatusMessageCallback;

diff --git a/packages/crawlee/package.json b/packages/crawlee/package.json
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
     },
     "dependencies": {
         "@crawlee/basic": "workspace:*",
+        "@crawlee/impit-client": "workspace:*",
         "@crawlee/browser": "workspace:*",
         "@crawlee/browser-pool": "workspace:*",
         "@crawlee/cheerio": "workspace:*",

diff --git a/packages/impit-client/package.json b/packages/impit-client/package.json
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
         "@apify/datastructures": "^2.0.3",
         "@crawlee/http-client": "workspace:*",
         "@crawlee/types": "workspace:*",
-        "impit": "^0.14.1",
+        "impit": "^0.14.2",
         "tough-cookie": "^6.0.0"
     }
 }
diff --git a/packages/impit-client/src/index.ts b/packages/impit-client/src/index.ts
@@ -97,12 +97,15 @@ export class ImpitHttpClient extends BaseHttpClient {
 
     private resolveImpitBrowser(fingerprint?: SessionFingerprint): ImpitBrowser | undefined {
         if (!fingerprint?.browser) return undefined;
-        const versions = IMPIT_VERSIONS_BY_BROWSER[fingerprint.browser];
-        if (!versions?.length) return undefined;
 
         const cached = this.impitBrowserByFingerprint.get(fingerprint);
         if (cached) return cached;
 
+        // impit can only impersonate Chrome and Firefox. Map other (Chromium-based or
+        // unsupported) families like `edge`/`safari` onto Chrome so the request still
+        // carries realistic browser headers instead of impit's bare `*/*` defaults.
+        const versions = IMPIT_VERSIONS_BY_BROWSER[fingerprint.browser] ?? IMPIT_VERSIONS_BY_BROWSER.chrome!;
+
         const picked = versions[Math.floor(Math.random() * versions.length)];
         this.impitBrowserByFingerprint.set(fingerprint, picked);
         return picked;