HTTPie

Warnings

• breaking HTTPie v3.0.0 and later dropped support for Python 3.6. Users on older Python versions must upgrade Python or stick to HTTPie versions < 3.0.0.
  Fix: Upgrade Python to 3.7 or newer, or pin `httpie<3.0.0`.
• gotcha The `httpie.core` programmatic API (e.g., `call_main`) is not officially stable and is subject to change between versions without a dedicated deprecation cycle. Direct programmatic interaction should be used with caution.
  Fix: For stable programmatic integration, it is generally recommended to run HTTPie as a subprocess, parsing its standard output and error streams. This mirrors how the CLI is intended to be used.
• gotcha HTTPie has experienced issues with SSL connections and compatibility with underlying `requests` and `urllib3` versions in the past (e.g., 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 3.2.4 patches). While often resolved quickly, this indicates sensitivity to its core dependencies.
  Fix: Ensure you are running the latest patch release of HTTPie to benefit from the most recent dependency compatibility fixes. If encountering SSL issues, check the HTTPie GitHub releases for recent fixes.
• deprecated HTTPie v3.1.0 fixed a critical security vulnerability related to cookie exposure on redirects to third-party hosts. While fixed, relying on older versions could expose users to this vulnerability.
  Fix: Upgrade to HTTPie v3.1.0 or newer immediately to mitigate the cookie exposure vulnerability. Regularly update HTTPie to receive security patches.

Install

• pip install httpie Install stable version

Imports

• call_main

  from httpie.core import call_main

  HTTPie is primarily a CLI tool. While `httpie.core.call_main` allows programmatic execution, its API is not officially stable and may change without notice. For robust programmatic use, running HTTPie as a subprocess is often recommended.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates both the recommended way of using HTTPie programmatically (as a subprocess) and the experimental direct `call_main` API. The subprocess method provides stability and mimics standard CLI usage. Remember to set `HTTP_AUTH_TOKEN` in your environment for the auth example.

import subprocess
from httpie.core import call_main

# Recommended: Run HTTPie as a subprocess
print("--- Using subprocess (recommended) ---")
try:
    result = subprocess.run(['http', 'https://httpbin.org/get', 'X-Auth-Token: ' + os.environ.get('HTTP_AUTH_TOKEN', 'none')], capture_output=True, text=True, check=True)
    print(result.stdout)
except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
    print(f"Subprocess failed: {e}\n{e.stderr}")

# Alternative: Use the internal call_main (API not guaranteed stable)
print("\n--- Using httpie.core.call_main (experimental) ---")
# Redirect stdout/stderr to capture output, as call_main prints directly
import io
import sys

old_stdout = sys.stdout
redirected_output = io.StringIO()
sys.stdout = redirected_output

try:
    # call_main expects a list of CLI arguments
    args = ['https://httpbin.org/post', 'hello=world', 'Content-Type: application/json']
    status_code = call_main(args)
    print(f"Call main exited with status: {status_code}")
    print(redirected_output.getvalue())
finally:
    sys.stdout = old_stdout # Restore stdout

# Example of setting an environment variable for a subprocess call
import os
os.environ['HTTP_TEST_VAR'] = 'test_value'
print("\n--- Subprocess with environment variable ---")
try:
    result_env = subprocess.run(['http', 'https://httpbin.org/get', 'HTTP_TEST_VAR'], capture_output=True, text=True, check=True)
    print(result_env.stdout)
except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
    print(f"Subprocess failed: {e}\n{e.stderr}")

del os.environ['HTTP_TEST_VAR'] # Clean up