# Philter
[](https://hex.pm/packages/philter)
[](https://hexdocs.pm/philter)
[](https://github.com/OpenFn/philter/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
Streaming HTTP proxy library with O(1) memory body observation for Elixir.
> **Philter** — an alchemical potion or charm; from Greek *philtron* (φίλτρον), "love potion."
## Features
- **Zero buffering**: Stream requests and responses without memory accumulation
- **Body observation**: Capture SHA256, size, preview, timing without buffering
- **Plug integration**: Use as Plug or call directly from controllers
- **Configurable**: Per-request overrides for all settings
- **Observable**: Lifecycle callbacks for monitoring and logging
## Installation
Add `philter` to your list of dependencies in `mix.exs`:
```elixir
def deps do
[
{:philter, "~> 0.1.0"}
]
end
```
## Quick Start
1. Add Finch to your supervision tree:
```elixir
children = [
{Finch, name: MyApp.Finch}
]
```
2. Configure Philter:
```elixir
# config/config.exs
config :philter, finch_name: MyApp.Finch
```
3. Use in your controller:
```elixir
def proxy(conn, _params) do
Philter.proxy(conn, upstream: "https://api.example.com")
end
```
Or as a Plug in your router:
```elixir
forward "/api", Philter.ProxyPlug, upstream: "https://api.example.com"
```
## Body Observation
Philter captures observations about request and response bodies without buffering:
```elixir
conn = Philter.proxy(conn, upstream: "https://api.example.com")
# Access observations from conn.private
req_obs = conn.private[:philter_request_observation]
resp_obs = conn.private[:philter_response_observation]
# Each observation contains:
# - :hash - SHA256 hash of the body
# - :size - Total body size in bytes
# - :preview - First 64KB of the body (UTF-8 safe truncation)
# - :body - Full body (only if under max_payload_size and content-type matches)
# - :duration_us - Processing time in microseconds
```
## Handler Callbacks
Implement `Philter.Handler` to hook into the proxy lifecycle:
```elixir
defmodule MyApp.ProxyHandler do
use Philter.Handler
@impl true
def handle_request_started(metadata, state) do
Logger.info("Proxying #{metadata.method} #{metadata.upstream_url}")
{:ok, state}
end
@impl true
def handle_response_started(metadata, state) do
Logger.info("TTFB: #{metadata.time_to_first_byte_us}us")
{:ok, state}
end
@impl true
def handle_response_finished(result, state) do
Logger.info("Completed: #{result.status} in #{result.duration_us}us")
# result contains :request_observation and :response_observation
{:ok, state}
end
end
# Use it:
Philter.proxy(conn,
upstream: "https://api.example.com",
handler: {MyApp.ProxyHandler, %{}}
)
```
## Configuration Options
| Option | Default | Description |
|--------|---------|-------------|
| `:finch_name` | `Philter.Finch` | Name of the Finch pool to use |
| `:receive_timeout` | `15_000` | Response timeout in milliseconds |
| `:max_payload_size` | `1_048_576` | Max body size for full accumulation (1MB) |
| `:persistable_content_types` | JSON/XML/text | Content types eligible for body storage |
Override per-request:
```elixir
Philter.proxy(conn,
upstream: "https://api.example.com",
receive_timeout: 60_000,
max_payload_size: 5_242_880
)
```
Or set application defaults:
```elixir
# config/config.exs
config :philter,
finch_name: MyApp.Finch,
receive_timeout: 30_000,
max_payload_size: 5_242_880,
persistable_content_types: ["application/json", "text/*"]
```
## Documentation
Full documentation: [https://hexdocs.pm/philter](https://hexdocs.pm/philter)
## License
Apache-2.0
