httplib2
A comprehensive HTTP client library.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need fine-grained HTTP control with built-in caching and authentication. The low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, and zero known vulnerabilities make it a safe choice. However, for new projects, evaluate whether modern alternatives better fit your use case, as httplib2 is less commonly adopted today despite its maturity.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.8 or later.
- HTTPS support depends on the socket module being compiled with SSL support.
- Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (pyparsing).
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive, allowing use in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions beyond attribution.
last release 2026-06-26 (49 days) · last repo commit 2026-06-26 · 510 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 180,751,343 downloads/mo, #227 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import httplib2
http = httplib2.Http()
response, content = http.request('http://example.com')- Whether the caching implementation (file system or memcached) is thread-safe for concurrent requests.
- Current performance characteristics compared to modern alternatives like requests or httpx.
- Whether the Beta status reflects active development or maintenance-only mode.
What it is and what it does
httplib2 is a standalone HTTP client library that predates and operates independently from the requests library. It provides a lower-level interface to HTTP operations with explicit control over caching, authentication, and connection management. The library supports HTTP 1.1 Keep-Alive to reuse connections, implements three authentication schemes (Digest, Basic, WSSE), and includes optional private caching with ETag and Last-Modified validators.
The package handles compression (gzip and deflate), automatically follows redirects, and can work with any HTTP method beyond GET and POST. It includes a file system or memcached-backed cache layer that respects Cache-Control headers. With a single runtime dependency and active maintenance, it remains a viable choice for projects that need fine-grained HTTP control or have specific caching requirements, though it is less commonly used than newer alternatives.
Use it for
- Building HTTP clients that need explicit cache control and ETag-based validation for efficiency.
- Implementing Digest or WSSE authentication in applications where Basic auth is insufficient.
- Projects requiring connection pooling and Keep-Alive support for high-volume HTTP requests.
- Working with memcached-backed HTTP response caching in distributed systems.
- Handling arbitrary HTTP methods (PUT, DELETE, PATCH) with automatic lost-update detection.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need fine-grained HTTP control with built-in caching and authentication.
The low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, and zero known vulnerabilities make it a safe choice. However, for new projects, evaluate whether modern alternatives better fit your use case, as httplib2 is less commonly adopted today despite its maturity.
Install
httplib2 on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (pyparsing). The package is actively maintained with a recent release and an active repository, though it carries a Beta development status.
Requires Python 3.8 or later. HTTPS support depends on the socket module being compiled with SSL support.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive, allowing use in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions beyond attribution.
Quickstart
import httplib2
http = httplib2.Http()
response, content = http.request('http://example.com')Verify before relying
- Whether the caching implementation (file system or memcached) is thread-safe for concurrent requests.
- Current performance characteristics compared to modern alternatives like requests or httpx.
- Whether the Beta status reflects active development or maintenance-only mode.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagepyparsing |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 49 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 180,751,343 / month, #227 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTPTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries |
Evidence: httplib2-0.32.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also httpxthrottlecache · CacheControl · google-auth-httplib2 · requests-cache · curlify2 · types-httplib2 · httptools · hishel · zlib-ng