# Additional Optimisations

Use this route when you want a lightweight request for keep-alive and connection warm-up.

The main optimization is not the route itself. The real gain comes from reusing the same persistent HTTP connection to Bifrost instead of opening a new connection for every transaction.

`/healthz` exists as a cheap request you can send on that same connection when you want to keep it active between transaction submissions.

## Why It Helps

* Reduces the chance that your next transaction pays the full connection setup cost
* Lets you keep the client-to-Bifrost connection active without sending a transaction
* Gives you a lightweight probe for reachability on the public listener

`/healthz` does not forward anything to upstream providers. It only checks that Bifrost itself is reachable.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Important

`/healthz` only helps if your client reuses the same HTTP client / connection pool.

If your client opens a fresh connection for every call, `/healthz` does not keep the later transaction connection warm.
{% endhint %}

Recommended pattern:

* Keep one long-lived HTTP client
* Enable normal keep-alive / connection pooling
* Send transactions over that reused client
* Optionally call `/healthz` between bursts when you want to keep the connection active

{% hint style="warning" %}
Important

The public Thor-Gateway listener currently uses an idle keep-alive timeout of about `30 seconds` .

If you want to keep the same client-to-Bifrost HTTP connection open, send a lightweight `GET /healthz` or `HEAD /healthz` roughly every `20-25 seconds` .
{% endhint %}

## Routes

| Route           | Use for                                             |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `GET /healthz`  | Lightweight keep-alive and reachability check       |
| `HEAD /healthz` | Same as `GET /healthz`, but without a response body |

## GET /healthz

Example request:

```bash
curl https://your-bifrost-endpoint/healthz
```

Example response:

```json
{
  "status": "ok",
  "service": "Bifrost Transaction Proxy"
}
```

## HEAD /healthz

Example request:

```bash
curl -I https://your-bifrost-endpoint/healthz
```

Expected behavior:

* Returns `200 OK`
* Returns no response body
* Useful when you want the lightest possible keep-alive probe