Default to now if time paramater not specified in HTTP API

[qed-]

As discussed here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/prometheus-developers/JrU8l0-IKt8 it would be convenient if the GET /api/v1/query endpoint defaulted to 'now' if the time paramater is not specified.

Use case is to allow a client to get the current state of metrics without worrying about clock sync, staleness handling.

[grobie]

If people are worried about this being used incorrectly by accident, we could also use something like last as special value.

👍 in general

[brian-brazil]

I think making it optional would make sense.

[fabxc]

Or now? last would not describe the semantics quite correctly, as we do not go back to the last visible samples for the query.

Making it optional is very implicit. If I say ?...&timestamp=now, at least there's little doubt what's happening internally.

[brian-brazil]

I'd expect that most users are doing quick lookups the same as in the expression browser and would like things to just work. In that context I'm not seeing much benefit to having them specify an additional magic parameter.

[fabxc]

Inserting it without any indicator is more magic. It's almost zero effort to do.
A query is only complete with a timestamp or range.

[grobie]

I don't consider default parameters to be magic. It's a common approach in both HTTP parameters as well as programming functions. The used timestamp will be visible in the result and how to set a timestamp explicitly can be seen in the documentation.

[jimmidyson]

👍 implicit default to now

[fabxc]

So be it then :)

On Wed, Nov 11, 2015 at 7:29 PM Jimmi Dyson notifications@github.com
wrote:

[image: 👍] implicit default to now

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#1207 (comment)
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[qed-]

Thanks all.

[lock]

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