This would be a nice opportunity to let the existing HealthcheckHandler shine! It is buried in our ref guide: https://solr.apache.org/guide/solr/latest/configuration-guide/implicit-requesthandlers.html and not used in our Solr Admin UI.
We would need to remove the ping request handler form Solr Admin and add Healthcheck, but that is an easy change. Right now however, Ping is the only way to validate a core is giving searches. Healthcheck doesn’t do that, so if we wanted it to also check that a collection/core was available, then we would need to add that or we lose capability. So +1 on the deprecation, and maybe an opportunity to lay out a nice JIRA with what improvements to HealthcheckHandler are needed? > On Aug 30, 2026, at 8:12 AM, David Smiley <[email protected]> wrote: > > +1 > > On Sun, Aug 30, 2026 at 7:22 AM Jason Gerlowski <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Solr has an API called the "PingRequestHandler" >> (/solr/<coreName>/admin/ping). This API is meant to serve as a >> load-balancer healthcheck, but it has a few surprising quirks. Most >> significantly it operates at the core level rather than the >> node-level, so it requires load-balancers be aware of Solr's topology >> to some extent (which of course, very few off-the-shelf load balancers >> are.) >> >> In my experience, PingRequestHandler has long been superseded by less >> idiosyncratic alternatives like the HealthcheckHandler or even the >> SystemInfoHandler. >> >> **I propose we deprecate PingRequestHandler in 10.x and remove in >> 11**, unless there's a compelling use-case that someone can bring to >> our attention. Not only is it needless maintenance burden, but >> PingRequestHandler also has some security baggage (i.e. "qt" usage) >> that makes it slightly risky to keep around if it's not providing >> value. >> >> Absent any use-cases for it that I'm not seeing currently, I'll create >> a ticket for this in a few days and start working towards >> deprecation+removal. Let me know what you guys think! Does anyone >> here use PingRequestHandler in a way that couldn't be replaced by >> HealthcheckHandler or normal querying? >> >> Best, >> >> Jason >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] >> For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] >> >> Disclaimer The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been automatically archived by Mimecast, a leader in email security and cyber resilience. Mimecast integrates email defenses with brand protection, security awareness training, web security, compliance and other essential capabilities. Mimecast helps protect large and small organizations from malicious activity, human error and technology failure; and to lead the movement toward building a more resilient world. To find out more, visit our website.
