httpray

Non-blocking HTTP library for Ruby

Started out the same as the fire-and-forget gem but with a more exposed interface, TLS support, and a better name. Added ideas from tcp_timeout and accidentally ended up creating a light-weight, non-blocking HTTP client.

It differs from other Ruby HTTP libraries that support async because it doesn't use Threads, making HTTPray much less resource intensive to use since it instead directly implements HTTP/HTTPS 1.0 using Socket and IO#select for timeouts. You can optionally ask to be handed back the socket before it is closed in case you want to listen for a response, but that's not really what you're here for, and it creates a Fiber.

Great for use with sending data to HTTP endpoints for which you are willing to accept a UDP-style best-effort approach, but with the added guarantee of TCP that the packets made it to the server. Only the server will know what it did with the data, though!

Install

gem "httpray"

Use

require 'httpray'

# def HTTParty.request!(method, uri, headers = {}, body = nil, timeout = 1, ssl_context = nil)

# send an HTTP request and don't listen for the response
HTTPray.request(
  "POST",
  "https://your.diety/prayers",
  {"Content-Type" => "application/prayer"},
  "It's me, Margret",
  1) # timeout in seconds

# party with a response
HTTPray.request("GET", "https://your.diety/answered_prayers") do |socket|
  socket.gets
end

# party dangerously (you have to close your own socket!)
socket = HTTPray.request!("GET", "https://your.diety/answered_prayers")
puts socket.gets
socket.close

Help

HTTPray has minimal convenience and sanitization features because I didn't need them. All that it does is fill in the Host, User-Agent, Accept, and Content-Length headers for you. The body must be a string, so convert it yourself first. The URI can be a URI or a String that will go through URI.parse. You're welcome. You can also pass an OpenSSL::SSL::SSLContext if you want more control over how TLS is used, but if you don't provide one it will be created for you if needed.

Timeout support does not extend to the response since you just get back a Socket. You're own your own for how you want to handle that.

If you want it to be easier to use, feel free to submit pull requests. As long as you don't break existing functionality I will probably accept them.

Tests

There are some tests that exercise the code paths. You can run them with:

ruby -I . test/httparty_test.rb

Unfortunately they have to hit real network endpoints, so they won't work without a network.