Guzzle

Guzzle Best Practices

Guzzle is the de-facto PHP HTTP client. Use these rules to build robust, testable, and maintainable HTTP integrations.

1. Client Instantiation & Configuration

Always inject an immutable Guzzle client as a service. Configure it once with global defaults, especially timeouts.

✅ GOOD: Service-Oriented Client with Essential Defaults

<?php

use GuzzleHttp\Client;
use GuzzleHttp\HandlerStack;
use GuzzleHttp\Middleware;
use Psr\Log\LoggerInterface;
use Psr\Http\Message\RequestInterface;
use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface;
use GuzzleHttp\Exception\ConnectException;
use Exception;

final class MyApiClientFactory
{
    public static function create(LoggerInterface $logger): Client
    {
        $stack = HandlerStack::create();

        // 1. Logging: Log all requests and responses
        $stack->push(Middleware::log(
            $logger,
            new \GuzzleHttp\MessageFormatter(
                '{method} {uri} HTTP/{version} {code} {res_header_Content-Length}'
            )
        ));

        // 2. Retry Logic: Robust handling for transient errors (5xx, connection issues)
        $stack->push(Middleware::retry(
            function (
                $retries,
                RequestInterface $request,
                ResponseInterface $response = null,
                Exception $exception = null
            ) {
                // Limit to 3 retries
                if ($retries >= 3) {
                    return false;
                }
                // Retry on connection exceptions
                if ($exception instanceof ConnectException) {
                    return true;
                }
                // Retry on server errors (5xx)
                if ($response && $response->getStatusCode() >= 500) {
                    return true;
                }
                return false;
            },
            // Exponential backoff: 100ms, 200ms, 400ms
            function ($retries) {
                return 100 * (2 ** ($retries - 1));
            }
        ));

        return new Client([
            'base_uri' => 'https://api.example.com/v1/',
            'timeout' => 10.0,          // Total request timeout in seconds
            'connect_timeout' => 5.0,   // Connection timeout in seconds
            'headers' => [
                'Accept' => 'application/json',
                'User-Agent' => 'MyApp/1.0 (PHP Guzzle)',
            ],
            'handler' => $stack,
            'http_errors' => true,      // Throw exceptions for 4xx/5xx responses
        ]);
    }
}

// Usage in a service container or dependency injection
// $client = MyApiClientFactory::create($myLogger);
// $response = $client->get('users');

❌ BAD: Global Singletons & Missing Timeouts

<?php

use GuzzleHttp\Client;

// Client created ad-hoc, no shared configuration, no timeouts
// Hard to test, prone to hanging requests
class LegacyService
{
    public function fetchUsers(): array
    {
        $client = new Client(); // ❌ BAD: No timeouts, no base_uri, no shared config
        $response = $client->get('https://api.example.com/v1/users');
        return json_decode($response->getBody()->getContents(), true);
    }
}

2. Middleware for Cross-Cutting Concerns

Leverage HandlerStack and GuzzleHttp\Middleware for reusable logic like retries, logging, and authentication. This keeps your request code DRY.

✅ GOOD: Centralized Middleware for Auth & Retries

(See MyApiClientFactory::create example above for comprehensive middleware usage.)

<?php

use GuzzleHttp\Middleware;
use Psr\Http\Message\RequestInterface;

// Example of adding an authentication header via middleware
$stack->push(Middleware::mapRequest(function (RequestInterface $request) {
    $token = 'your_api_token_here'; // Get from secure config
    return $request->withHeader('Authorization', 'Bearer ' . $token);
}));

❌ BAD: Duplicating Logic Per Request

<?php

use GuzzleHttp\Client;

class UserService
{
    private Client $client;

    public function __construct(Client $client)
    {
        $this->client = $client;
    }

    public function getUser(string $id): array
    {
        // ❌ BAD: Authentication header added manually for every request type
        $response = $this->client->get("users/{$id}", [
            'headers' => [
                'Authorization' => 'Bearer ' . 'your_api_token_here',
            ],
        ]);
        return json_decode($response->getBody()->getContents(), true);
    }
}

3. "Bring Your Own Client" (BYOC) for Libraries/SDKs

When building reusable libraries or SDKs, never hard-depend on Guzzle. Instead, type-hint Psr\Http\Client\ClientInterface (PSR-18) and Psr\Http\Message\RequestFactoryInterface (PSR-17). Let the consumer inject their preferred HTTP client.

✅ GOOD: PSR-18/17 Compliant SDK

<?php

use Psr\Http\Client\ClientInterface;
use Psr\Http\Message\RequestFactoryInterface;
use Psr\Http\Message\StreamFactoryInterface;
use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface;

final class MySdkClient
{
    private const string BASE_URI = 'https://api.myservice.com';

    public function __construct(
        private ClientInterface $httpClient,
        private RequestFactoryInterface $requestFactory,
        private StreamFactoryInterface $streamFactory,
    ) {}

    public function fetchData(string $endpoint, array $data = []): ResponseInterface
    {
        $body = $this->streamFactory->createStream(json_encode($data));
        $request = $this->requestFactory->createRequest('POST', self::BASE_URI . $endpoint)
            ->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json')
            ->withBody($body);

        return $this->httpClient->sendRequest($request);
    }
}

// Consumer code (e.g., in a Symfony/Laravel app)
// use GuzzleHttp\Psr7\HttpFactory;
// use GuzzleHttp\Client as GuzzleClient;
// $guzzleClient = new GuzzleClient(/* ... config ... */);
// $httpFactory = new HttpFactory(); // PSR-17 implementation
// $sdk = new MySdkClient($guzzleClient, $httpFactory, $httpFactory);

❌ BAD: Hard-Dependence on Guzzle in SDKs

<?php

use GuzzleHttp\Client; // ❌ BAD: Direct Guzzle dependency

final class MyBadSdkClient
{
    private Client $httpClient;

    public function __construct(Client $httpClient) // ❌ BAD: Forces Guzzle on consumers
    {
        $this->httpClient = $httpClient;
    }

    public function fetchData(string $endpoint): array
    {
        $response = $this->httpClient->get('https://api.myservice.com' . $endpoint);
        return json_decode($response->getBody()->getContents(), true);
    }
}

4. Error Handling

Always catch specific Guzzle exceptions, especially RequestException (for HTTP errors) and ConnectException (for network issues).

✅ GOOD: Specific Exception Handling

<?php

use GuzzleHttp\Client;
use GuzzleHttp\Exception\RequestException;
use GuzzleHttp\Exception\ConnectException;

final class DataFetcher
{
    private Client $client;

    public function __construct(Client $client)
    {
        $this->client = $client;
    }

    public function fetchImportantData(): ?array
    {
        try {
            $response = $this->client->get('critical-endpoint');
            return json_decode($response->getBody()->getContents(), true);
        } catch (ConnectException $e) {
            // Log network error, notify ops, potentially retry (if not handled by middleware)
            error_log("Network error fetching data: " . $e->getMessage());
            return null; // Or throw a custom application exception
        } catch (RequestException $e) {
            // Log HTTP error (4xx, 5xx), inspect response
            error_log("HTTP error fetching data: " . $e->getMessage() . " Response: " . $e->getResponse()?->getBody());
            if ($e->hasResponse() && $e->getResponse()->getStatusCode() === 404) {
                return []; // Handle specific 404 case
            }
            return null; // Or throw a custom application exception
        } catch (\Throwable $e) {
            // Catch any other unexpected errors
            error_log("Unexpected error: " . $e->getMessage());
            throw $e; // Re-throw for higher-level handling
        }
    }
}

❌ BAD: Catching Generic Exceptions

<?php

// ... (class definition)

    public function fetchImportantData(): ?array
    {
        try {
            $response = $this->client->get('critical-endpoint');
            return json_decode($response->getBody()->getContents(), true);
        } catch (\Exception $e) { // ❌ BAD: Catches too broadly, hides specific issues
            error_log("Error fetching data: " . $e->getMessage());
            return null;
        }
    }

5. Testing Guzzle Clients

Use GuzzleHttp\Handler\MockHandler for deterministic and fast unit tests. This avoids hitting real APIs and ensures consistent test results.

✅ GOOD: Mocking Responses with MockHandler

<?php

use GuzzleHttp\Client;
use GuzzleHttp\Handler\MockHandler;
use GuzzleHttp\HandlerStack;
use GuzzleHttp\Psr7\Response;
use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;

final class MyServiceTest extends TestCase
{
    public function testFetchUsersSuccessfully(): void
    {
        // Create a mock handler with a successful response
        $mock = new MockHandler([
            new Response(200, ['Content-Type' => 'application/json'], json_encode(['users' => ['Alice', 'Bob']])),
        ]);

        $handlerStack = HandlerStack::create($mock);
        $client = new Client(['handler' => $handlerStack]);

        // Inject the mocked client into your service
        $service = new MyService($client);
        $users = $service->fetchUsers();

        $this->assertEquals(['Alice', 'Bob'], $users);
    }

    public function testFetchUsersNotFound(): void
    {
        // Mock a 404 response
        $mock = new MockHandler([
            new Response(404, [], 'Not Found'),
        ]);

        $handlerStack = HandlerStack::create($mock);
        $client = new Client(['handler' => $handlerStack]);

        $service = new MyService($client);

        // Expect an exception or specific return based on your error handling
        $this->expectException(\GuzzleHttp\Exception\ClientException::class); // If http_errors is true
        $service->fetchUsers();
    }
}

// Example MyService class
class MyService
{
    private Client $client;

    public function __construct(Client $client)
    {
        $this->client = $client;
    }

    public function fetchUsers(): array
    {
        $response = $this->client->get('users');
        return json_decode($response->getBody()->getContents(), true)['users'];
    }
}

❌ BAD: Hitting Real APIs in Tests

<?php

use GuzzleHttp\Client;
use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;

final class MyServiceIntegrationTest extends TestCase
{
    public function testFetchUsersFromRealApi(): void
    {
        // ❌ BAD: Hits a real external API, making tests slow, flaky, and dependent on external services
        $client = new Client(['base_uri' => 'https://api.example.com/v1/']);
        $service = new MyService($client);
        $users = $service->fetchUsers();

        $this->assertIsArray($users);
        $this->assertNotEmpty($users);
    }
}

6. Laravel HTTP Client

If you are in a Laravel project, use Laravel's built-in HTTP client wrapper. It's powered by Guzzle but provides a more fluent API, built-in faking, and concurrent request helpers.

✅ GOOD: Laravel HTTP Client

<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;

final class LaravelIntegrationService
{
    public function getUserData(int $userId): array
    {
        $response = Http::withToken('your_api_token')
                        ->timeout(10)
                        ->retry(3, 100) // Retry 3 times, 100ms delay
                        ->get("https://api.example.com/users/{$userId}");

        $response->throw(); // Throws an exception for 4xx/5xx responses

        return $response->json();
    }

    public function sendConcurrentRequests(): array
    {
        $responses = Http::pool(fn (Http\Client\Pool $pool) => [
            $pool->get('https://api.example.com/data/1'),
            $pool->get('https://api.example.com/data/2'),
        ]);

        return [
            $responses[0]->json(),
            $responses[1]->json(),
        ];
    }
}