httmock: Mock HTTP Requests for Python Tests

Overview

httmock is a Python mocking library built on the requests HTTP library. It helps Python developers test code that makes HTTP calls through requests, including libraries that contact third-party APIs, without relying on live services for the mocked interactions.

Handlers can match requests by URL or intercept all requests in a test context, then return response content, status codes, headers, and cookies. The README describes support for Python 2.7 and Python 3.4+.

Key Features

• Intercepts HTTP calls made with requests within an HTTMock context.
• Matches requests conditionally with the urlmatch decorator.
• Uses all_requests to handle requests without URL-based matching.
• Builds responses from dictionaries or with the response helper.
• Supports response status codes, content, headers, and cookies.
• Can be used to test libraries that use requests internally.

Use Cases

• Python developers testing API clients can substitute mocked responses for live API calls.
• Library maintainers can test code that uses requests without needing the external service to respond.
• Teams can check how their code handles API errors by returning responses with chosen status codes and content.
• Developers can test cookie handling and response parsing with controlled headers and bodies.

Getting Started

Install from PyPI:

pip install httmock

See the README for usage details.

License in Plain Words

No standard license was detected. Without a license, the default copyright rules apply: you may read the code, but not reuse it. Check the repository or ask the authors.

Alternatives

• HTTPretty: HTTPretty intercepts HTTP traffic at the socket level, while httmock targets requests-based HTTP interactions.
• python-mocket: Mocket intercepts socket and SSL traffic for multiple clients and protocols, while httmock focuses on the requests library.
• responses: Responses also mocks requests calls, with features such as callbacks and ordered responses; httmock provides conditional or catch-all mocks.

Considerations

The repository is marked inactive, and there have been no commits in over a year or releases recorded in the past year. Although the project has multiple contributors and is not flagged as concentrated around one contributor, the supplied activity data shows no recent issue closures or merged pull requests. Check the code and your dependency requirements before relying on it. The license is reported as NOASSERTION, so review the repository's license files and confirm the terms before use. The README describes Python 2.7 and 3.4+ support, but the supplied project facts do not identify CI or tests.