hishel
Elegant HTTP Caching for Python
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Hishel is a well-maintained, actively developed library with low install friction, permissive licensing, and no known vulnerabilities. It fills a clear need for RFC 9111-compliant HTTP caching in Python. The recent release cycle, active repository, and support for modern Python versions (3.10–3.14) make it production-ready. Install it if you need HTTP caching for HTTPX, Requests, FastAPI, or ASGI applications.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later; SQLite backend is the current storage option.
- Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (msgpack and typing-extensions).
- The package is actively maintained with a recent release (4 days old) and steady repository activity, making it reliable for production use.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under a permissive BSD license, allowing use in commercial and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-08-10 (4 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-10 · 404 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 5,771,227 downloads/mo, #2,041 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install hishel
import hishel
from hishel import CacheConnectionPool
# Use with HTTPX or other supported HTTP clients
with CacheConnectionPool() as pool:
response = pool.request('GET', 'https://example.com')- Specific performance benchmarks or overhead metrics compared to uncached requests.
- Details on which ASGI frameworks (Starlette, Litestar, BlackSheep) are officially tested.
- Cache eviction policies and memory limits for long-running applications.
- Whether GraphQL caching handles mutations and subscriptions or queries only.
What it is and what it does
Hishel is an HTTP caching library that brings RFC 9111-compliant caching to Python HTTP clients. It integrates with HTTPX, Requests, ASGI applications, and FastAPI, allowing you to cache HTTP responses with minimal code changes. The library supports both synchronous and asynchronous workflows, making it suitable for a range of Python applications from simple scripts to complex async services.
The package uses msgpack for serialization and provides SQLite as its storage backend. It includes configurable caching policies, streaming support to avoid loading large payloads into memory, and specialized support for caching GraphQL queries. Hishel is actively maintained, supports Python 3.10 through 3.14, and carries no known security vulnerabilities.
Use it for
- Cache HTTP responses from external APIs in web applications to reduce latency and bandwidth.
- Integrate caching into FastAPI or ASGI applications to improve performance of downstream requests.
- Cache GraphQL query results with body-sensitive content matching to avoid redundant server calls.
- Add transparent caching to existing HTTPX or Requests-based clients with minimal code changes.
- Build async services that need efficient HTTP response caching without manual cache management.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Hishel is a well-maintained, actively developed library with low install friction, permissive licensing, and no known vulnerabilities. It fills a clear need for RFC 9111-compliant HTTP caching in Python. The recent release cycle, active repository, and support for modern Python versions (3.10–3.14) make it production-ready. Install it if you need HTTP caching for HTTPX, Requests, FastAPI, or ASGI applications.
Install
hishel on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (msgpack and typing-extensions). The package is actively maintained with a recent release (4 days old) and steady repository activity, making it reliable for production use.
Requires Python 3.10 or later; SQLite backend is the current storage option.
License in practice
Licensed under a permissive BSD license, allowing use in commercial and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install hishel
import hishel
from hishel import CacheConnectionPool
# Use with HTTPX or other supported HTTP clients
with CacheConnectionPool() as pool:
response = pool.request('GET', 'https://example.com')Verify before relying
- Specific performance benchmarks or overhead metrics compared to uncached requests.
- Details on which ASGI frameworks (Starlette, Litestar, BlackSheep) are officially tested.
- Cache eviction policies and memory limits for long-running applications.
- Whether GraphQL caching handles mutations and subscriptions or queries only.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesmsgpacktyping-extensions |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 4 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 5,771,227 / month, #2,041 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 3 - AlphaEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentFramework :: AsyncIOFramework :: TrioIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Topic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTP |
Evidence: hishel-1.3.1-py3-none-any.whl
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