Why I Forked httpx: httpxyz and the Python HTTP Client Maintenance Crisis

httpxyz: A Fork of Python httpx Driven by Maintenance Concerns

A developer has forked Python most popular HTTP client, httpx, creating httpxyz over concerns about stalled maintenance, hidden issues, and an uncertain 1.0 roadmap.

Why Fork?

• No releases since November 2024 - Bug fixes remain unreleased
• Hidden issues and disabled discussions - GitHub issues are hidden, harder to report bugs
• 1.0 planned for years - Discussed since 2020 with no delivery
• Breaking changes in minor versions - Author introduced breaking changes citing pre-1.0 status
• Upstream worried - Both OpenAI and Anthropic Python SDKs guard against httpx 1.0

Same Pattern Elsewhere

The httpx author also maintains Django REST Framework and MkDocs with similar patterns - issues disabled, limited maintenance, community frustration.

httpxyz Philosophy

• Stability first - No rewrites, no breaking changes
• Move faster, do not break things
• Hosted on Codeberg instead of GitHub, citing monoculture concerns
• Co-maintained to prevent burnout

Why It Matters

httpx is used by millions of Python developers and is a core dependency of OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs. At 122 points on Hacker News, the fork resonated with developers frustrated by neglected but widely-used open source projects.