Feature #12375: Net::HTTP.post

• Status: Closed
• Assignee: shugo (Shugo Maeda)
• Target version: -

[shugo (Shugo Maeda)]

Net::HTTP.post_form is convenient, but it's dedicated to application/x-www-form-urlencoded.
Why not provide Net::HTTP.post for other media types?

res = Net::HTTP.post(URI('http://www.example.com/api/search'),
                     { "q" => "ruby", "max" => "50" }.to_json,
                     "Content-Type" => "application/json")

I've attached a patch, but there are some considerations:

• Net::HTTP.post_form supports basic authentication by userinfo in URLs,
  but Net::HTTP.post doesn't, because it's deprecated by RFC3986.
  Is it OK?
• The first argument must be a URI object, but it might be better to accept a String.
• Should methods for other HTTP methods such as Net::HTTP.patch be added?

[usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)]

Shugo Maeda wrote:

• The first argument must be a URI object, but it might be better to accept a String.

It should accept the hostname and the path parameters, like Net::HTTP.get.
Of course, to implement it is not so hard, so I believe you will do it before committing the patch :-)

[shugo (Shugo Maeda)]

Usaku NAKAMURA wrote:

Shugo Maeda wrote:

• The first argument must be a URI object, but it might be better to accept a String.

It should accept the hostname and the path parameters, like Net::HTTP.get.

Ah, I forgot to consider consistency with Net::HTTP.get.

Of course, to implement it is not so hard, so I believe you will do it before committing the patch :-)

It's easy to implement, but I meant that the following code:

res = Net::HTTP.post('http://www.example.com/api/search',
                     { "q" => "ruby", "max" => "50" }.to_json,
                     "Content-Type" => "application/json")

The Net::HTTP.get style, which is less useful because it can't support HTTPS, will be as follows:

res = Net::HTTP.post('www.example.com',
                     '/api/search',
                     { "q" => "ruby", "max" => "50" }.to_json,
                     "Content-Type" => "application/json")

It might be possible to support both styles by checking argument numbers and types,
but keyword arguments might be better....

[shugo (Shugo Maeda)]

Shugo Maeda wrote:

• The first argument must be a URI object, but it might be better to accept a String.

It should accept the hostname and the path parameters, like Net::HTTP.get.

Ah, I forgot to consider consistency with Net::HTTP.get.

After contemplation, I think Net::HTTP.post shouldn't accept the hostname, path,
and port parameters.

These parameters are useless because they can't support HTTPS, and adding optional
parameters is confusing because Net::HTTP.post needs to accept the mandatory request body
and the optional request header as its parameters.

The hostname, path, and port parameters of Net::HTTP.get might also have to be deprecated,
but it's a different issue.

I've attached a patch, but there are some considerations:

My thoughts about these considerations are:

• Net::HTTP.post_form supports basic authentication by userinfo in URLs, but Net::HTTP.post doesn't, because it's deprecated by RFC3986. Is it OK?

I think it's OK.

• The first argument must be a URI object, but it might be better to accept a String.

A String object shouldn't be accepted as the first argument, because it's confusing with
the Net::HTTP.get-like hostname argument.

• Should methods for other HTTP methods such as Net::HTTP.patch be added?

Such methods are not necessary because they are less popular than POST.

[naruse (Yui NARUSE)]

Just a note, I sometimes happen to write Net::HTTPS.open

[naruse (Yui NARUSE)]

• Status changed from Open to Assigned
• Assignee changed from naruse (Yui NARUSE) to shugo (Shugo Maeda)

Agreed about Net::HTTP.post shouldn't support post(hostname, path, port) form because there's no reason to support to use HTTP.

Could you commit it?

[shugo (Shugo Maeda)]

• Status changed from Assigned to Closed

Yui NARUSE wrote:

Agreed about Net::HTTP.post shouldn't support post(hostname, path, port) form because there's no reason to support to use HTTP.

Could you commit it?

Merged in r56597.