How to set connection timeout with OkHttp

Mastering the art of timeouts

Timeouts breed app responsiveness. A connection timeout is the time box for securing a successful connection, a read timeout is the patience limit to await data read completion, and a write timeout is your line in the sand for data sending.

Retrofit meets OkHttpClient

Unite Retrofit and a custom OkHttpClient with timeouts simply by passing the tailored client when constructing the Retrofit instance:

Retrofit retrofit = new Retrofit.Builder()
    .baseUrl("http://example.com")
    .client(client) // Custom-configured OkHttpClient riding shotgun
    .build();


Customizing requests via interceptors

Sometimes, you need to fiddle with timeouts on the fly. Use addInterceptor() in OkHttpClient to add pre-request custom logic:

OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient.Builder()
    .addInterceptor(chain -> {
        Request request = chain.request();
        // Make the request do a barrel roll if needed...
        return chain.proceed(request);
    })
    .connectTimeout(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
    .readTimeout(30, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
    .writeTimeout(15, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
    .build();


Fine-tuning timeout settings

Diverse network conditions often demand individualized timeout settings for each request—quite like custom room service! Clone the OkHttpClient and fiddle with the timeout values:

Request request = new Request.Builder()
        .url("http://example.com/resource")
        .build();

OkHttpClient clientWithCustomTimeout = client.newBuilder()
    .readTimeout(60, TimeUnit.SECONDS) // This request gets VIP treatment, 60 sec on the clock!
    .build();

Call call = clientWithCustomTimeout.newCall(request);
Response response = call.execute();


Remember: creating a new OkHttpClient for every request has performance penalties. So clone and recycle, like an eco-friendly dev!

Grappling with timeouts

Timeouts can cause IOExceptions, just like chili peppers can cause heartburn. Always plan for proper exception handling:

try {
    Response response = call.execute();
    // Dancing with the response data
} catch (IOException e) {
    // Gracefully handle the salsa burn from the timeout
}


Juggling legacy versions

For OkHttp's earlier versions, before OkHttpClient.Builder was the star, timeouts were set using setConnectTimeout and setReadTimeout:

OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient();
client.setConnectTimeout(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
client.setReadTimeout(30, TimeUnit.SECONDS);


While seemingly familiar, developers should transition to the builder pattern for code clarity and future compatibility.