HTTP/REST client wrapper that provides a standard interface for making http requests using different http clients. If no client is specified it will choose the best http client you have installed based on our performance tests.

• All clients behave exactly the same:
  • Same error behavior
  • Same 30X redirect behavior
  • Same response object methods
  • Same way to access and manipulate requests and responses such as body, headers, code, etc.
• Chooses best client you have installed on your system based on what we have found performs the best.
  • Currently net_http_persistent and typhoeus are nearly the same, but since net_http_persistent doesn't have a binary dependency, it wins.
  • You can run performance tests yourself by running: ruby test/test_performance.rb, quite a difference between the libs.
• Handles 503 errors with exponential backoff.

Install the gem:

gem install rest

Create an Rest client:

@rest = Rest::Client.new()

To choose a specific underlying http client lib:

@rest = Rest::Client.new(:gem=>:typhoeus)

Supported http libraries are:

• rest_client
• net_http_persistent
• typhoeus
• internal - this gem's built in client.

Then use it:

@rest.get(url, options...)

options:

• :params => query params for url
• :headers => headers

@rest.post(url, options...)

options:

• :body => POST body
• :headers => headers hash
• :form_data => hash of fields/values, sent form encoded (only tested with default net-http-persistent)

@rest.put(url, options...)

options:

• :body => POST body
• :headers => headers

@rest.delete(url, options...)

The response object you get back will always be consistent and will have the following functions:

response.code
response.body

If it didn't get a response for whatever reason, you will get a Rest::ClientError

If status code is 40X or 50X, it will raise an exception with the following methods.

err.code
err.response (which has body: err.response.body)