How to set default timeout in Apache HttpClient 4.5? (fluent)

Question

I'm using Apache HttpClient 4.5 (with fluent interface) in a Java console application. I noticed, that its default timeout value seem to be infinite, but i have to use a non-infinite timeout value for the requests i send. And i would like to use the same timeout value for all requests.

How do i globally set the default connection-timeout and socket-timeout values, so that i do not have to set them every place in the code where i send a request? (Remember i use the fluent interface)

---

Example:

Right now, each place in my code where i send a request i do something like: (simple example)

HttpResponse response = Request.Get(url)
   .connectionTimeout(CONNECTION_TIMEOUT) // <- want to get rid of this
   .sessionTimeout(SESSION_TIMEOUT)       // <- and this
   .execute()
   .returnResponse();

What i would like to do, is to set the default value once and for all, at the beginning of my program. Something like:

SomeImaginaryConfigClass.setDefaultConnectionTimeout(CONNECTION_TIMEOUT);
SomeImaginaryConfigClass.setDefaultSessionTimeout(SESSION_TIMEOUT);

so that i can just send a request like this

HttpResponse response = Request.Get(url).execute().returnResponse();

without setting the timeout parameters on every single call.

I have seen some answers on the net, but they're either for old versions of Apache HttpClient (i.e. doesn't work), or they talk about using a builder or passing a config class along or other approaches way too complicated for my needs. I just want to set the default timeout values, nothing fancier than that. Where do i do this?

Answer 1

One could use a custom Executor to do so

RequestConfig requestConfig = RequestConfig.custom()
        .setConnectTimeout(5000)
        .setSocketTimeout(5000)
        .build();
SocketConfig socketConfig = SocketConfig.custom()
        .setSoTimeout(5000)
        .build();
CloseableHttpClient client = HttpClients.custom()
        .setDefaultRequestConfig(requestConfig)
        .setDefaultSocketConfig(socketConfig)
        .build();

Executor executor = Executor.newInstance(client);
executor.execute(Request.Get("http://thishost/")).returnResponse();
executor.execute(Request.Get("http://thathost/")).returnResponse();