httpx Should HTTPError be a base class for RequestError and

The Fix

Upgrade to version 0.14.0 or later.

Based on closed encode/httpx issue #1108 · PR/commit linked

Production note: Most teams hit this during upgrades or environment changes. Roll out with a canary and smoke critical endpoints (health, OpenAPI/docs) before 100%.

Jump to Verify Open PR/Commit

@@ -1,32 +1,33 @@
 Our exception hierarchy:
 
-* RequestError
-  + TransportError
-    - TimeoutException

repro.py

try:
    r = httpx.get('https://httpbin.org/status/400')
    r.raise_for_status()
except httpx.HTTPError as error:
    print(error)

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

fix.md

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release\nUpgrade to version 0.14.0 or later.\nWhen NOT to use: This fix should not be used if you require strict separation of exception types for error handling.\n\n

Why This Fix Works in Production

Trigger: Should HTTPError be a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError?
Mechanism: HTTPError was not a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError, causing confusion in exception handling
Why the fix works: Keeps HTTPError as a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError, ensuring existing code continues to work as expected while providing finer-grained exception handling. (first fixed release: 0.14.0).

Production impact:

If left unfixed, the same config can fail only in production (env differences), causing startup failures or partial feature outages.

Why This Breaks in Prod

Triggered by an upgrade/regression window: 3.7 breaks; 0.14.0 is the first fixed release.
HTTPError was not a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError, causing confusion in exception handling
Surfaces as: Should HTTPError be a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError?

Proof / Evidence

GitHub issue: #1108
Fix PR: https://github.com/encode/httpx/pull/1125
First fixed release: 0.14.0
Affected versions: 3.7
Reproduced locally: No (not executed)
Last verified: 2026-02-09
Confidence: 0.75
Did this fix it?: Yes (upstream fix exists)
Own content ratio: 0.82

Discussion

High-signal excerpts from the issue thread (symptoms, repros, edge-cases).

Jump to Sources Open on GitHub

“That's a really interesting idea, thanks! An alternative might be to keep it as an exception class, as a base class of RequestError and HTTPStatusError?”

@lovelydinosaur · 2020-07-31 · source

“Would need to include all the top-level exceptions from https://github.com/encode/httpx/pull/1095, so: python HTTPError = (HTTPStatusError, RequestError, NotRedirectResponse, CookieConflict, StreamError)”

@StephenBrown2 · 2020-07-31 · source

“Actually, yeah, an exception class is probably better, you could probably do something to print out a deprecation warning that way?”

@iwoloschin · 2020-07-31 · source

“> An alternative might be to keep it as an exception class, as a base class of RequestError and HTTPStatusError? I'd support this option.”

@StephenBrown2 · 2020-07-31 · source

Failure Signature (Search String)

Should HTTPError be a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError?

Error Message

Stack trace

error.txt

Error Message
-------------
Should HTTPError be a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError?

Minimal Reproduction

repro.py

try:
    r = httpx.get('https://httpbin.org/status/400')
    r.raise_for_status()
except httpx.HTTPError as error:
    print(error)

What Broke

Existing code that catches HTTPError fails to handle HTTPStatusError, leading to unhandled exceptions.

Why It Broke

HTTPError was not a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError, causing confusion in exception handling

Fix Options (Details)

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release Safe default (recommended)

Upgrade to version 0.14.0 or later.

When NOT to use: This fix should not be used if you require strict separation of exception types for error handling.

Use when you can deploy the upstream fix. It is usually lower-risk than long-lived workarounds.

Fix reference: https://github.com/encode/httpx/pull/1125

First fixed release: 0.14.0

Last verified: 2026-02-09. Validate in your environment.

When NOT to Use This Fix

This fix should not be used if you require strict separation of exception types for error handling.

Verify Fix

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

Did This Fix Work in Your Case?

Quick signal helps us prioritize which fixes to verify and improve.

Prevention

Add a CI check that diffs key outputs after upgrades (OpenAPI schema snapshots, JSON payload shapes, CLI output).
Upgrade behind a canary and run integration tests against the canary before 100% rollout.

Version Compatibility Table

Version	Status
3.7	Broken
0.14.0	Fixed

Related Issues

No related fixes found.

Cluster: httpx:configuration-error All hubs All clusters

Related clusters: Data consistency Other Timeout

Sources

We don’t republish the full GitHub discussion text. Use the links above for context.

httpx Should HTTPError be a base class for RequestError and HTTPStatusError? (Fix)