How to use dlang-requests with vibe.d for non-blocking HTTP calls?

Configure your dub.json to use the 'vibed' variant: for version 2.x, add 'requests:vibed' as a dependency; for 1.x, use subConfigurations. This allows the library to leverage vibe.d sockets, enabling fiber-based concurrency without blocking threads.

Can dlang-requests handle HTTP/2 or WebSockets?

No, dlang-requests currently supports only HTTP/1.1, HTTPS, and FTP protocols. There is no built-in support for HTTP/2 or WebSockets, so for those features, you may need to explore other D libraries or implement custom solutions.

How to stream a large file download without loading it all into memory?

Set the Request's useStreaming property to true, then call receiveAsRange on the Response to get an input range of data chunks. This allows incremental processing or saving, as demonstrated in the file download example with rawWrite.

Is dlang-requests thread-safe for concurrent requests?

Individual Request instances are not thread-safe and should not be shared between threads. However, you can use the request pool for parallel execution or create separate Request objects per thread, as shown in the parallel tasks example.

dlang-requests or hunt-http for D projects?

dlang-requests excels with its Python-requests-like API and built-in FTP support, ideal for simplicity and specific protocol needs. hunt-http might offer different features or performance trade-offs, so the choice depends on your project's requirements like API preference and protocol support.

How to implement basic authentication in dlang-requests?

Set the Request's authenticator property to a new BasicAuthentication instance with username and password. This works for both HTTP and FTP requests, as shown in the authorization example with httpbin.org.

What are the common error handling patterns for dlang-requests?

Wrap calls in try-catch blocks to handle exceptions like ConnectError for connection failures, TimeoutException for timed operations, and RequestException for other issues. The library provides specific exception types to guide error recovery strategies.

dlang-requests — D Language HTTP Client Library

What is dlang-requests?

dlang-requests is a native D programming language implementation of an HTTP client library, designed to provide a user-friendly interface similar to Python's popular requests library. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, focusing on efficiency, a small memory footprint, and ease of use for network programming in D.

Target Audience

D developers who need a simple, high-performance HTTP/HTTPS/FTP client for applications ranging from web scraping and API interactions to file transfers and parallel request execution.

Value Proposition

Developers choose dlang-requests for its Python-requests-inspired intuitive API combined with native D performance, support for both blocking and non-blocking I/O via vibe.d integration, and features like request pooling, interceptors, and streaming responses that handle large data efficiently.

dlang http client library inspired by python-requests

Use Cases

Best For

Building D applications that require a simple, high-level API for HTTP/HTTPS/FTP requests similar to Python's requests library.
Handling large file downloads or streaming responses efficiently without loading entire documents into memory.
Executing multiple HTTP requests in parallel using a worker thread pool for improved throughput.
Integrating HTTP client functionality into vibe.d applications with non-blocking I/O for fiber-based concurrency.
Implementing middleware chains for logging, caching, or modifying requests and responses via interceptors.
Performing FTP operations including file uploads, downloads, and directory listings within a unified HTTP-like API.

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring HTTP/2 or WebSocket support out of the box, as dlang-requests is limited to HTTP/1.1, HTTPS, and FTP.
Applications built entirely on vibe.d that need parallel request pooling, since the pool feature does not work under vibe.d as per the documentation.
Teams deploying on Windows without pre-installed OpenSSL, due to the manual steps required for SSL configuration highlighted in the README.
Developers needing advanced authentication methods like OAuth or digest auth, as only Basic Authentication is natively supported.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Intuitive High-Level API

Functions like getContent and postContent mimic Python's requests library, allowing quick document retrieval and posting with minimal code, as shown in the simple request examples.

Efficient Streaming Responses

Supports lazy loading of large downloads as input ranges with useStreaming, enabling handling of big files without full memory consumption, demonstrated in the streaming response section.

Parallel Request Execution

Includes a request pool with worker threads for executing multiple HTTP requests concurrently, improving throughput for batch operations, as detailed in the requests pool examples.

Flexible Interceptor System

Chainable middleware allows logging, caching, or request modification without core changes, providing extensibility through classes like LoggerInterceptor.

vibe.d Integration

Optional use of vibe.d sockets enables non-blocking I/O in fiber-based applications, allowing HTTP calls to block only the current fiber, not the thread, as shown in the vibe.d example.

Cons

Limited vibe.d Pool Compatibility

The request pool feature does not work under vibe.d, restricting its use in fully non-blocking applications that rely on this concurrency model, as admitted in the pool limitations section.

Complex SSL Setup on Windows

Requires manual installation and configuration of OpenSSL on Windows, with specific steps like downloading from slproweb, which can be a deployment hurdle as noted in the Windows SSL notes.

API Version Fragmentation

Different configuration methods for vibe.d integration between versions 1.x and 2.x (e.g., subConfigurations vs. dependencies) lead to confusion and potential migration issues for users.

Ecosystem and Protocol Gaps

Lacks support for modern protocols like HTTP/2 or WebSockets, and has a smaller community compared to HTTP clients in more popular languages, limiting third-party extensions and advanced features.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dlang-requests?

Target Audience

D developers who need a simple, high-performance HTTP/HTTPS/FTP client for applications ranging from web scraping and API interactions to file transfers and parallel request execution.

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Building D applications that require a simple, high-level API for HTTP/HTTPS/FTP requests similar to Python's requests library.
Handling large file downloads or streaming responses efficiently without loading entire documents into memory.
Executing multiple HTTP requests in parallel using a worker thread pool for improved throughput.
Integrating HTTP client functionality into vibe.d applications with non-blocking I/O for fiber-based concurrency.
Implementing middleware chains for logging, caching, or modifying requests and responses via interceptors.
Performing FTP operations including file uploads, downloads, and directory listings within a unified HTTP-like API.

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring HTTP/2 or WebSocket support out of the box, as dlang-requests is limited to HTTP/1.1, HTTPS, and FTP.
Applications built entirely on vibe.d that need parallel request pooling, since the pool feature does not work under vibe.d as per the documentation.
Teams deploying on Windows without pre-installed OpenSSL, due to the manual steps required for SSL configuration highlighted in the README.
Developers needing advanced authentication methods like OAuth or digest auth, as only Basic Authentication is natively supported.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Intuitive High-Level API

Functions like getContent and postContent mimic Python's requests library, allowing quick document retrieval and posting with minimal code, as shown in the simple request examples.

Efficient Streaming Responses

Supports lazy loading of large downloads as input ranges with useStreaming, enabling handling of big files without full memory consumption, demonstrated in the streaming response section.

Parallel Request Execution

Includes a request pool with worker threads for executing multiple HTTP requests concurrently, improving throughput for batch operations, as detailed in the requests pool examples.

Flexible Interceptor System

Chainable middleware allows logging, caching, or request modification without core changes, providing extensibility through classes like LoggerInterceptor.

vibe.d Integration

Optional use of vibe.d sockets enables non-blocking I/O in fiber-based applications, allowing HTTP calls to block only the current fiber, not the thread, as shown in the vibe.d example.

Cons

Limited vibe.d Pool Compatibility

The request pool feature does not work under vibe.d, restricting its use in fully non-blocking applications that rely on this concurrency model, as admitted in the pool limitations section.

Complex SSL Setup on Windows

Requires manual installation and configuration of OpenSSL on Windows, with specific steps like downloading from slproweb, which can be a deployment hurdle as noted in the Windows SSL notes.

API Version Fragmentation

Different configuration methods for vibe.d integration between versions 1.x and 2.x (e.g., subConfigurations vs. dependencies) lead to confusion and potential migration issues for users.

Ecosystem and Protocol Gaps

Lacks support for modern protocols like HTTP/2 or WebSockets, and has a smaller community compared to HTTP clients in more popular languages, limiting third-party extensions and advanced features.

Frequently Asked Questions

dlang-requests

What is dlang-requests?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

dlang-requests

What is dlang-requests?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?