Net::HTTP

Added in v1.8 · Updated March 13, 2026 · Modules

ruby stdlib net http web

Net::HTTP is Ruby’s standard library for making HTTP requests. It supports all common HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.), handles response bodies, manages connections, and works with HTTPS through TLS.

Loading the Library

require 'net/http'
require 'uri'
require 'json' # for parsing API responses

Basic Usage

GET Request

The simplest way to make a GET request:

uri = URI('https://api.example.com/data')
response = Net::HTTP.get_response(uri)

response.body     # => "{\"status\":\"ok\"}"
response.code     # => "200"
response.message  # => "OK"

POST Request

uri = URI('https://api.example.com/create')
request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
request.body = JSON.dump({ name: 'Alice', email: 'alice@example.com' })
request['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) do |http|
  http.request(request)
end

response.code # => "201"

Constructor Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`address`	String	required	Hostname or IP address
`port`	Integer	80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS)	Port number
`proxy_addr`	String	nil	Proxy server address
`proxy_port`	Integer	nil	Proxy server port
`open_timeout`	Integer	nil	Connection timeout (seconds)
`read_timeout`	Integer	nil	Read timeout (seconds)
`use_ssl`	Boolean	false	Enable HTTPS

Common Methods

`Net::HTTP.get_response(uri)`

Synchronous GET request. Returns a Net::HTTPResponse object.

response = Net::HTTP.get_response(URI('https://example.com'))

`Net::HTTP.post(uri, body, headers)`

Synchronous POST request.

response = Net::HTTP.post(
  URI('https://api.example.com/login'),
  'username=admin&password=secret',
  { 'Content-Type' => 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' }
)

`Net::HTTP.start(host, port, use_ssl: false) { |http| ... }`

Opens a connection and yields the HTTP object. The connection closes automatically when the block finishes.

Net::HTTP.start('api.example.com', 443, use_ssl: true) do |http|
  request = Net::HTTP::Get.new('/users')
  response = http.request(request)
  JSON.parse(response.body)
end

`Net::HTTP.new(address, port)`

Creates a new HTTP object without connecting. Use start to open the connection.

http = Net::HTTP.new('api.example.com', 443)
http.use_ssl = true
http.start

response = http.get('/data')
http.finish

Request Types

# All HTTP methods are supported
Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
Net::HTTP::Put.new(uri)
Net::HTTP::Delete.new(uri)
Net::HTTP::Patch.new(uri)
Net::HTTP::Head.new(uri)
Net::HTTP::Options.new(uri)

Handling Responses

response = Net::HTTP.get_response(URI('https://api.example.com/data'))

# Check status code
if response.code == '200'
  data = JSON.parse(response.body)
end

# Work with headers
response['Content-Type']    # => "application/json"
response['X-Request-Id']    # => "abc123"

# Iterate over all headers
response.each_header do |name, value|
  puts "#{name}: #{value}"
end

Working with JSON APIs

require 'net/http'
require 'uri'
require 'json'

def fetch_json(url)
  uri = URI(url)
  response = Net::HTTP.get_response(uri)

  case response
  when Net::HTTPSuccess
    JSON.parse(response.body, symbolize_names: true)
  else
    raise "HTTP Error: #{response.code} #{response.message}"
  end
end

users = fetch_json('https://api.example.com/users')