---
title: "Ruby 2.6 adds write_timeout to Net::HTTP"
description:
  "write_timeout is added to Net::HTTP and Net::BufferedIO in Ruby 2.6"
canonical_url: "https://www.bigbinary.com/blog/ruby-2-6-adds-write-timeout-to-net-http"
markdown_url: "https://www.bigbinary.com/blog/ruby-2-6-adds-write-timeout-to-net-http.md"
---

# Ruby 2.6 adds write_timeout to Net::HTTP

write_timeout is added to Net::HTTP and Net::BufferedIO in Ruby 2.6

- Author: Taha Husain
- Published: August 14, 2018
- Categories: Ruby 2.6, Ruby

Before Ruby 2.6, if we created a large request with `Net::HTTP`, it would hang
forever until request is interrupted. To fix this issue,
[write_timeout](https://docs.ruby-lang.org/en/trunk/Net/HTTP.html#attribute-i-write_timeout)
attribute and
[write_timeout=](https://docs.ruby-lang.org/en/trunk/Net/HTTP.html#method-i-write_timeout-3D)
method is added to [Net::HTTP](https://docs.ruby-lang.org/en/2.6.0/) in Ruby
2.6. Default value for `write_timeout` is 60 seconds and can be set to an
integer or a float value.

Similarly, `write_timeout` attribute and `write_timeout=` method is added to
`Net::BufferedIO` class.

If any chunk of response is not written within number of seconds provided to
`write_timeout`, [Net::WriteTimeout](https://docs.ruby-lang.org/en/2.6.0/)
exception is raised. `Net::WriteTimeout` exception is not raised on Windows
systems.

###### Example

```ruby

# server.rb

require 'socket'

server = TCPServer.new('localhost', 2345)
loop do
socket = server.accept
end

```

##### Ruby 2.5.1

```ruby

# client.rb

require 'net/http'

connection = Net::HTTP.new('localhost', 2345)
connection.open_timeout = 1
connection.read_timeout = 3
connection.start

post = Net::HTTP::Post.new('/')
body = (('a' _ 1023) + "\n") _ 5_000
post.body = body

puts "Sending #{body.bytesize} bytes"
connection.request(post)

```

###### Output

```ruby
\$ RBENV_VERSION=2.5.1 ruby client.rb

Sending 5120000 bytes
```

Ruby 2.5.1 processes request endlessly unless above program is interrupted.

##### Ruby 2.6.0-dev

Add `write_timeout` attribute to `Net::HTTP` instance in client.rb program.

```ruby

# client.rb

require 'net/http'

connection = Net::HTTP.new('localhost', 2345)
connection.open_timeout = 1
connection.read_timeout = 3

# set write_timeout to 10 seconds

connection.write_timeout = 10

connection.start

post = Net::HTTP::Post.new('/')
body = (('a' _ 1023) + "\n") _ 5_000
post.body = body

puts "Sending #{body.bytesize} bytes"
connection.request(post)

```

###### Output

```ruby
\$ RBENV_VERSION=2.6.0-dev ruby client.rb

Sending 5120000 bytes
Traceback (most recent call last):
13: `from client.rb:17:in `<main>`` 12: `from /net/http.rb:1479:in `request``
11: `from /net/http.rb:1506:in `transport_request`` 10: `from /net/http.rb:1506:in `catch``
9: `from /net/http.rb:1507:in `block in transport_request`` 8: `from /net/http/generic_request.rb:123:in `exec``
7: `from /net/http/generic_request.rb:189:in `send_request_with_body`` 6: `from /net/protocol.rb:221:in `write``
5: `from /net/protocol.rb:239:in `writing`` 4: `from /net/protocol.rb:222:in `block in write``
3: `from /net/protocol.rb:249:in `write0`` 2: `from /net/protocol.rb:249:in `each_with_index``
1: `from /net/protocol.rb:249:in `each`` `/net/protocol.rb:270:in `block in write0`: Net::WriteTimeout (Net::WriteTimeout)`

```

In Ruby 2.6.0, above program is terminated raising `Net::WriteTimeout` exception
after 10 seconds (value set to `write_timeout` attribute).

Here is relevant [commit](https://github.com/ruby/ruby/commit/bd7c46) and
[discussion](https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/13396) for this change.

## Links

- [Human page](https://www.bigbinary.com/blog/ruby-2-6-adds-write-timeout-to-net-http)