Crates / headers / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to headers
Short answerThe closest alternatives to headers on crates.io data are hyper (2.8M real downloads a day), hyper-util (1.9M real downloads a day), http-range-header (290K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is http-body, and 5 shipped a release in the last year. headers itself gets 343,059 a day with 273 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs headers | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hyper Widely used | 2,783,528 | 8.11x | 5,861 | 18d | keyword "http", keyword "hyper" | compare |
| hyper-util Widely used | 1,948,171 | 5.68x | 3,155 | 30d | keyword "http", keyword "hyper" | compare |
| http-range-header Pulled in | 289,915 | 0.85x | 19 | 23mo | category Web programming, keyword "headers", keyword "http" | compare |
| hyper-tls Established | 741,124 | 2.16x | 476 | 2.9y | keyword "http", keyword "hyper" | compare |
| http-body Widely used | 2,784,335 | 8.12x | 1,124 | 3mo | category Web programming, keyword "http" | compare |
| h2 Established | 2,290,495 | 6.68x | 296 | 18d | category Web programming, keyword "http" | compare |
| httparse Established | 2,183,298 | 6.36x | 609 | 20mo | category Web programming, keyword "http" | compare |
| tower-http Widely used | 2,044,149 | 5.96x | 3,782 | 54d | category Web programming, keyword "http" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with headers; read its description before you swap.
- More dependents means more answered questions and a smaller chance it disappears.
- Check the last release against how fast you need fixes. For headers: is it still maintained?
Rules
Alternatives = tracked crates (top 1000 by downloads) that share a specific crates.io category (2 points each) or keyword (3 points each) with headers, most similar first; its own parts (same name prefix) and crates it depends on or that depend on it are left out, because those are companions, not substitutes. Real downloads = quiet-day median, crates.io data Oct 24, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Widely used and steady. 2,783,528 real downloads a day.hyperRust crate. A protective and efficient HTTP library for all. Real use: 2.8M downloads a day on quiet days; 5,861 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time