Ruby: what is the difference between using open()

Question

This question already has an answer here:

• What is the difference between Ruby's 'open-uri' and 'Net:HTTP' gems? 2 answers

A separate SO post offers different methods for fetching web content in Ruby, but doesn't fully explain why one is preferable to the other.

What is the difference between using open() and the NET::HTTP module, as demonstrated below, to fetch web content? Why is NET::HTTP considered the "better" approach?

**open() 1:**    
require 'open-uri'
file = open('http://hiscore.runescape.com/index_lite.ws?player=zezima')
contents = file.read

**open() 2:**
require 'open-uri'
source = open('http://www.google.com', &:read)

**NET::HTTP 1:**
require 'uri'
require 'net/http'
url = "http://hiscore.runescape.com/index_lite.ws?player=zezima"
r = Net::HTTP.get_response(URI.parse(url).host, URI.parse(url).path)

Answer 1

Rule of thumb: Use OpenURI whenever you can.

The reason is that OpenURI is just a wrapper around Net::HTTP, therefore it will require less code to be written. So if all you do is performing simple GET requests, go for it.

On the other hand, prefer Net::HTTP if you want some lower-level functionality that you OpenURI does not give you. It is not a better approach, but it provides more flexibility in terms of configuration.

As the official documentation states:

If you are only performing a few GET requests you should try OpenURI.