- Response format: Body is now always returned directly in the response
with_bodyoption: Deprecated and ignoredhackney:body/1,2andhackney:stream_body/1: Deprecated - use async mode for streaming- Async mode: Now works consistently across HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3
The most significant change is that the response body is now always returned directly in the response tuple, regardless of protocol:
%% Before (2.x) - HTTP/1.1
{ok, 200, Headers, ConnPid} = hackney:get(URL),
{ok, Body} = hackney:body(ConnPid).
%% Before (2.x) - HTTP/2
{ok, 200, Headers, Body} = hackney:get(URL). %% Already returned body
%% After (3.x) - All protocols
{ok, 200, Headers, Body} = hackney:get(URL). %% Consistent!| Deprecated | Replacement |
|---|---|
{with_body, true/false} |
Option ignored - body always returned |
hackney:body/1 |
Body in response tuple |
hackney:body/2 |
Body in response tuple |
hackney:stream_body/1 |
Use async mode |
For incremental body streaming, use async mode instead of stream_body/1:
%% Before (2.x) - sync streaming
{ok, 200, Headers, Pid} = hackney:get(URL),
{ok, Chunk1} = hackney:stream_body(Pid),
{ok, Chunk2} = hackney:stream_body(Pid),
done = hackney:stream_body(Pid).
%% After (3.x) - async streaming
{ok, Ref} = hackney:get(URL, [], <<>>, [async]),
receive {hackney_response, Ref, {status, 200, _}} -> ok end,
receive {hackney_response, Ref, {headers, Headers}} -> ok end,
stream_loop(Ref).
stream_loop(Ref) ->
receive
{hackney_response, Ref, done} -> ok;
{hackney_response, Ref, Chunk} ->
process_chunk(Chunk),
stream_loop(Ref)
end.For on-demand streaming (pull-based), use {async, once}:
{ok, Ref} = hackney:get(URL, [], <<>>, [{async, once}]),
receive {hackney_response, Ref, {status, 200, _}} -> ok end,
hackney:stream_next(Ref),
receive {hackney_response, Ref, {headers, Headers}} -> ok end,
hackney:stream_next(Ref),
receive {hackney_response, Ref, Chunk} -> process(Chunk) end,
hackney:stream_next(Ref),
%% ... continue until doneHTTP/2 async mode now works correctly. Previously, async requests over HTTP/2 would fail or behave incorrectly. Now the same async API works for all protocols:
%% Works for HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3
{ok, Ref} = hackney:get(<<"https://nghttp2.org/">>, [], <<>>, [async]),
receive
{hackney_response, Ref, {status, Status, _}} ->
io:format("Status: ~p~n", [Status])
end,
receive
{hackney_response, Ref, {headers, Headers}} ->
io:format("Headers: ~p~n", [Headers])
end,
receive
{hackney_response, Ref, done} -> ok;
{hackney_response, Ref, Chunk} -> io:format("Chunk: ~p~n", [Chunk])
end.- Simple requests: No changes needed
- Streaming/async: Same API,
ClientRefis now a PID - Pool: Per-host limits replace global pool size, SSL not pooled
- Proxy: URL-based config, env vars work automatically
- State stored in ETS tables
- Multiple modules coordinate via hackney_manager
- Socket ownership transferred between processes
- Complex cleanup on errors
- Global pool with max_connections limit
- SSL connections pooled
- One gen_statem process per connection
- Process owns its socket and state
- Clean OTP supervision
- Automatic cleanup on process exit
- Per-host connection limits via load regulation
- TCP-only pooling (SSL connections never pooled)
- Connection prewarm for low-latency reuse
See Design Guide for detailed architecture documentation.
Hackney 2.x adds transparent HTTP/2 support:
- Automatic ALPN negotiation on HTTPS connections
- Connection multiplexing (single connection, multiple streams)
- Header compression (HPACK)
- Server push support
- Same API for both HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2
See HTTP/2 Guide for details.
| Aspect | 1.x | 2.x |
|---|---|---|
| State storage | ETS tables | Process state |
| Connection handle | Opaque reference | PID |
| Socket ownership | Transferred between processes | Owned by connection process |
| Error cleanup | Manual via manager | Automatic via process exit |
| Supervision | Custom tracking | OTP supervisor |
| Pool scope | Global max_connections | Per-host limits |
| SSL pooling | Yes | No (security) |
| Prewarm | No | Yes (default 4 per host) |
| HTTP/2 | No | Yes (automatic via ALPN) |
%% 1.x - opaque reference, body read separately
{ok, StatusCode, Headers, Ref} = hackney:get(URL),
{ok, Body} = hackney:body(Ref).
%% 2.x/3.x - body returned directly
{ok, StatusCode, Headers, Body} = hackney:get(URL).In 3.x, body is always returned directly in the response tuple for consistency across all protocols.
The most significant change is how connection pooling works:
1.x: Single global pool with max_connections limit shared across all hosts.
2.x: Per-host connection limits. Each host gets up to max_per_host concurrent connections (default 50). TCP connections are pooled; SSL connections are never pooled.
%% 1.x - global pool limit
hackney_pool:start_pool(mypool, [{max_connections, 100}]). %% 100 total
%% 2.x - per-host limit (100 connections per host)
hackney_pool:start_pool(mypool, [{max_connections, 100}]).
%% Plus request option:
hackney:get(URL, [], <<>>, [{pool, mypool}, {max_per_host, 100}]).1.x: SSL connections were pooled and reused.
2.x: SSL connections are never pooled. Each HTTPS request either:
- Gets a TCP connection from pool and upgrades to SSL
- Creates a new connection with SSL
This is a security improvement - SSL session state is never shared.
2.x only: After first use of a host, the pool maintains warm TCP connections:
%% Automatic after first request to host
%% Or explicit:
hackney_pool:prewarm(default, "api.example.com", 443, 4).2.x only: Per-host backpressure when connection limit reached:
%% Request waits if api.example.com has 50 active connections
hackney:get("https://api.example.com/data", [], <<>>, [
{max_per_host, 50},
{checkout_timeout, 5000} %% Wait up to 5s for slot
]).
%% Returns {error, checkout_timeout} if slot not available in time| 1.x | 2.x |
|---|---|
hackney:cancel_request/1 |
hackney:close/1 |
hackney:controlling_process/2 |
Not needed |
hackney:send_multipart_body/2 |
hackney:send_body/2 |
Merged into hackney_conn:
hackney_connecthackney_connectionhackney_requesthackney_responsehackney_stream
Body is now returned directly (no need to call hackney:body/1):
%% 1.x
{ok, 200, Headers, Ref} = hackney:get(URL),
{ok, Body} = hackney:body(Ref).
%% 2.x/3.x - simpler!
{ok, 200, Headers, Body} = hackney:get(URL).No changes:
{ok, Ref} = hackney:request(post, URL, Headers, stream, []),
ok = hackney:send_body(Ref, Chunk),
ok = hackney:finish_send_body(Ref),
{ok, Status, RespHeaders, Body} = hackney:start_response(Ref).No changes:
{ok, Ref} = hackney:get(URL, [], <<>>, [async]),
receive
{hackney_response, Ref, {status, Status, _}} -> ok
end.%% 1.x
hackney:cancel_request(Ref).
%% 2.x
hackney:close(Ref).%% 1.x - global pool limit
hackney_pool:start_pool(mypool, [{max_connections, 50}]),
hackney:get(URL, [], <<>>, [{pool, mypool}]).
%% 2.x - same API works, but behavior differs:
%% - max_connections is now per pool, not global limit
%% - Add max_per_host for per-host limiting
hackney_pool:start_pool(mypool, [
{max_connections, 100}, %% Pool capacity
{prewarm_count, 4}, %% Warm connections per host
{timeout, 2000} %% Keepalive timeout (max 2s)
]),
hackney:get(URL, [], <<>>, [
{pool, mypool},
{max_per_host, 50}, %% Per-host limit
{checkout_timeout, 5000} %% Wait time for slot
]).If you were using a large global pool for high concurrency:
%% 1.x - 1000 connections shared across all hosts
hackney_pool:start_pool(bigpool, [{max_connections, 1000}]).
%% 2.x - 100 connections per host (better isolation)
hackney_pool:start_pool(bigpool, [{max_connections, 1000}]),
hackney:get(URL, [], <<>>, [
{pool, bigpool},
{max_per_host, 100} %% Each host gets up to 100
]).%% 1.x
hackney_pool:get_stats(mypool).
%% 2.x - same, plus per-host stats
hackney_pool:get_stats(mypool).
hackney_pool:host_stats(mypool, "api.example.com", 443).
%% Returns: [{active, N}, {in_use, N}, {free, N}]%% 1.x
{hackney, [
{max_connections, 50},
{timeout, 150000} %% Could be any value
]}.
%% 2.x
{hackney, [
{max_connections, 50},
{timeout, 2000}, %% Capped at 2000ms
{prewarm_count, 4} %% New option
]}.Keepalive timeout is now capped at 2000ms (2 seconds). This prevents issues with stale connections and aligns with common server defaults.
%% 1.x - any timeout value
hackney_pool:start_pool(p, [{timeout, 300000}]). %% 5 minutes
%% 2.x - capped at 2000ms
hackney_pool:start_pool(p, [{timeout, 300000}]). %% Becomes 2000msErlang/OTP 27+