# Httpstat — Visualize curl Response Timing Statistics

> Httpstat is a command-line tool that visualizes curl HTTP response timing, showing DNS lookup, TCP connection, TLS handshake, server processing, and transfer time in a clear breakdown.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Httpstat — Visualize curl Response Timing Statistics

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install via pip
pip install httpstat

# Or via Homebrew
brew install httpstat

# Analyze a URL
httpstat https://example.com

# Pass curl options after the URL
httpstat https://api.example.com -X POST -d '{"key":"value"}'

# Show response headers
httpstat https://example.com -v
```

## Introduction
Httpstat wraps curl to display HTTP response timing in a visually intuitive format. Instead of parsing raw curl timing output, httpstat renders a color-coded waterfall showing each phase of the request — DNS lookup, TCP connection, TLS handshake, server processing, and content transfer — making it easy to identify latency bottlenecks.

## What Httpstat Does
- Breaks down HTTP request timing into named phases with millisecond precision
- Displays a color-coded visual chart of each connection phase in the terminal
- Passes through all curl arguments so you can test any HTTP scenario (POST, headers, auth)
- Shows response headers and status codes alongside timing data
- Works with HTTPS to show TLS handshake time separately from TCP connection time

## Architecture Overview
Httpstat is a single Python script (or Go binary in the Go port) that invokes curl with the `-w` (write-out) option to capture timing variables. It parses curl's timing output (time_namelookup, time_connect, time_appconnect, time_pretransfer, time_starttransfer, time_total) and renders them as a formatted waterfall diagram with ANSI colors in the terminal.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Zero configuration needed — it is a standalone script/binary with no dependencies beyond curl
- Set `HTTPSTAT_SHOW_BODY=true` environment variable to display the response body
- Set `HTTPSTAT_SHOW_SPEED=true` to include download/upload speed in the output
- Use `HTTPSTAT_SAVE_BODY=true` to save response body to a temporary file for inspection
- Custom curl binary path can be set via `HTTPSTAT_CURL_BIN` environment variable

## Key Features
- Single-glance diagnosis of where HTTP latency originates (DNS, network, or server)
- No configuration or setup beyond installation — works immediately with any URL
- Full curl compatibility means any request type, header, or authentication method works
- Available in multiple implementations: Python (original), Go, and Bash versions
- Clean terminal output suitable for including in bug reports or documentation

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **curl -w** — provides raw timing numbers without visualization; httpstat adds the human-readable waterfall
- **HTTPie** — focused on pretty request/response formatting without timing breakdown
- **hey/bombardier** — load testing tools that measure aggregate latency; httpstat analyzes single requests in detail
- **Chrome DevTools** — browser-based network timing; httpstat provides the same for CLI-based API testing

## FAQ
**Q: Does httpstat make its own HTTP requests?**
A: No. It wraps curl, so you get identical behavior to curl including all the same options and TLS handling.

**Q: Can I use httpstat for POST requests or custom headers?**
A: Yes. All arguments after the URL are passed directly to curl, so `-X POST`, `-H`, `-d`, etc. all work.

**Q: Why does DNS show 0ms sometimes?**
A: DNS resolution is cached by the OS. If you recently accessed the domain, the cached result is used instantly.

**Q: Is there a Go version with no Python dependency?**
A: Yes. The `go-httpstat` and `httpstat-go` projects provide compiled binaries that work without Python.

## Sources
- https://github.com/reorx/httpstat
- https://github.com/davecheney/httpstat

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-28ae7267
Author: AI Open Source