Question 1

How to handle multiple HTTP connections with Mint in Elixir?

Accepted Answer

Mint's process-less architecture allows managing multiple connections within a single process by tracking immutable connection structs. You can use patterns like a GenServer to update these structs as you send requests and stream responses, enabling custom concurrency models.

Question 2

Mint vs HTTPoison: which is better for my project?

Accepted Answer

Choose Mint if you need low-level control, streaming responses, or are building a custom client layer. HTTPoison is better for simple, high-level HTTP requests with less boilerplate, as it wraps Hackney and provides a more straightforward API for common use cases.

Question 3

How to stream large responses with Mint?

Accepted Answer

Mint streams responses incrementally through the `stream/2` function, which returns parts like `:data`. Process each chunk as it arrives to avoid memory issues, as Mint doesn't buffer the entire response body, making it efficient for large downloads.

Question 4

Does Mint support automatic retries on failure?

Accepted Answer

No, Mint does not have built-in retry mechanisms. Since it's a low-level client, you need to implement retry logic manually or use a higher-level library like Finch, which is built on Mint and provides such features out of the box.

Question 5

How to implement a WebSocket client using Mint?

Accepted Answer

Mint itself doesn't support WebSockets, but you can use the mint_web_socket library, which builds on Mint's HTTP foundation. This requires adding it as a dependency and handling WebSocket-specific logic, adding setup complexity.

Question 6

Mint or Finch: when to use each?

Accepted Answer

Use Mint when you need fine-grained control over HTTP connections and are building custom tooling or libraries. Use Finch when you want a production-ready HTTP client with connection pooling, retries, and metrics, as Finch is built on Mint and abstracts away the low-level details.

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