November 11, 2025

#457 Tapping into HTTP

28 minutes

Topics covered in this episode:

httptap

10 Smart Performance Hacks For Faster Python Code

FastRTC

Explore Python dependencies with pipdeptree and uv pip tree

Extras

Joke

Watch on YouTube

About the show

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Michael #1: httptap

Rich-powered CLI that breaks each HTTP request into DNS, connect, TLS, wait, and transfer phases with waterfall timelines, compact summaries, or metrics-only output.

Features

Phase-by-phase timing – precise measurements built from httpcore trace hooks (with sane fallbacks when metal-level data is unavailable).

All HTTP methods – GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS with request body support.

Request body support – send JSON, XML, or any data inline or from file with automatic Content-Type detection.

IPv4/IPv6 aware – the resolver and TLS inspector report both the address and its family.

TLS insights – certificate CN, expiry countdown, cipher suite, and protocol version are captured automatically.

Multiple output modes – rich waterfall view, compact single-line summaries, or -metrics-only for scripting.

JSON export – persist full step data (including redirect chains) for later processing.

Extensible – clean Protocol interfaces for DNS, TLS, timing, visualization, and export so you can plug in custom behavior.

Example:

Brian #2: 10 Smart Performance Hacks For Faster Python Code

Dido Grigorov

A few from the list

Use math functions instead of operators

Avoid exception handling in hot loops

Use itertools for combinatorial operations - huge speedup

Use bisect for sorted list operations - huge speedup

Michael #3: FastRTC

The Real-Time Communication Library for Python: Turn any python function into a real-time audio and video stream over WebRTC or WebSockets.

Features

🗣️ Automatic Voice Detection and Turn Taking built-in, only worry about the logic for responding to the user.

💻 Automatic UI - Use the .ui.launch() method to launch the webRTC-enabled built-in Gradio UI.

🔌 Automatic WebRTC Support - Use the .mount(app) method to mount the stream on a FastAPI app and get a webRTC endpoint for your own frontend!

⚡️ Websocket Support - Use the .mount(app) method to mount the stream on a FastAPI app and get a websocket endpoint for your own frontend!

📞 Automatic Telephone Support - Use the fastphone() method of the stream to launch the application and get a free temporary phone number!

🤖 Completely customizable backend - A Stream can easily be mounted on a FastAPI app so you can easily extend it to fit your production application. See the Talk To Claude demo for an example of how to serve a custom JS frontend.

Brian #4: Explore Python dependencies with pipdeptree and uv pip tree

Suggested by Nicholas Carsner

We have covered it, but in 2017 on episode 17.

pipdeptree

Use pipdeptree --python auto to allow it to read your venv

uv pip tree

Also check out uv pip tree and some useful flags

--show-version-specifiers to show the rules

--outdated notes packages that need updated

Extras

Brian:

Lean TDD 0.1.1 includes an updated intro and another chapter, “Essential Components”

VSCode Peacock Extension - color code your different projects

Joke: Sure Grandma

...more

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By Michael Kennedy and Brian Okken

4.7

212212 ratings