/* -*- Mode: C++; tab-width: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 2 -*- */ /* vim: set ts=8 sts=2 et sw=2 tw=80: */ /* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */ #ifndef mozilla_dom_IPCBlobUtils_h #define mozilla_dom_IPCBlobUtils_h #include "mozilla/RefPtr.h" #include "mozilla/dom/File.h" #include "mozilla/ipc/IPDLParamTraits.h" /* * Blobs and IPC * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * Simplifying, DOM Blob objects are chunks of data with a content type and a * size. DOM Files are Blobs with a name. They are are used in many APIs and * they can be cloned and sent cross threads and cross processes. * * If we see Blobs from a platform point of view, the main (and often, the only) * interesting part is how to retrieve data from it. This is done via * nsIInputStream and, except for a couple of important details, this stream is * used in the parent process. * * For this reason, when we consider the serialization of a blob via IPC * messages, the biggest effort is put in how to manage the nsInputStream * correctly. To serialize, we use the IPCBlob data struct: basically, the blob * properties (size, type, name if it's a file) and the nsIInputStream. * * Before talking about the nsIInputStream it's important to say that we have * different kinds of Blobs, based on the different kinds of sources. A non * exaustive list is: * - a memory buffer: MemoryBlobImpl * - a string: StringBlobImpl * - a real OS file: FileBlobImpl * - a generic nsIInputStream: StreamBlobImpl * - an empty blob: EmptyBlobImpl * - more blobs combined together: MultipartBlobImpl * Each one of these implementations has a custom ::CreateInputStream method. * So, basically, each one has a different kind of nsIInputStream (nsFileStream, * nsIStringInputStream, SlicedInputStream, and so on). * * Another important point to keep in mind is that a Blob can be created on the * content process (for example: |new Blob([123])|) or it can be created on the * parent process and sent to content (a FilePicker creates Blobs and it runs on * the parent process). * * DocumentLoadListener uses blobs to serialize the POST data back to the * content process (for insertion into session history). This lets it correctly * handle OS files by reference, and avoid copying the underlying buffer data * unless it is read. This can hopefully be removed once SessionHistory is * handled in the parent process. * * Child to Parent Blob Serialization * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * When a document creates a blob, this can be sent, for different reasons to * the parent process. For instance it can be sent as part of a FormData, or it * can be converted to a BlobURL and broadcasted to any other existing * processes. * * When this happens, we use the IPCStream data struct for the serialization * of the nsIInputStream. This means that, if the stream is fully serializable * and its size is lower than 1Mb, we are able to recreate the stream completely * on the parent side. This happens, basically with any kind of child-to-parent * stream except for huge memory streams. In this case we end up using * DataPipe. See more information in IPCStreamUtils.h. * * In order to populate IPCStream correctly, we use SerializeIPCStream as * documented in IPCStreamUtils.h. * * Parent to Child Blob Serialization * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * This scenario is common when we talk about Blobs pointing to real files: * HTMLInputElement (type=file), or Entries API, DataTransfer and so on. But we * also have this scenario when a content process creates a Blob and it * broadcasts it because of a BlobURL or because BroadcastChannel API is used. * * The approach here is this: normally, the content process doesn't really read * data from the blob nsIInputStream. The content process needs to have the * nsIInputStream and be able to send it back to the parent process when the * "real" work needs to be done. This is true except for 2 usecases: FileReader * API and BlobURL usage. So, if we ignore these 2, normally, the parent sends a * blob nsIInputStream to a content process, and then, it will receive it back * in order to do some networking, or whatever. * * For this reason, IPCBlobUtils uses a particular protocol for serializing * nsIInputStream parent to child: PRemoteLazyInputStream. This protocol keeps * the original nsIInputStream alive on the parent side, and gives its size and * a UUID to the child side. The child side creates a RemoteLazyInputStream and * that is incapsulated into a StreamBlobImpl. * * The UUID is useful when the content process sends the same nsIInputStream * back to the parent process because, the only information it has to share is * the UUID. Each nsIInputStream sent via PRemoteLazyInputStream, is registered * into the RemoteLazyInputStreamStorage. * * On the content process side, RemoteLazyInputStream is a special inputStream: * the only reliable methods are: * - nsIInputStream.available() - the size is shared by PRemoteLazyInputStream * actor. * - nsIIPCSerializableInputStream.serialize() - we can give back this stream to * the parent because we know its UUID. * - nsICloneableInputStream.cloneable() and nsICloneableInputStream.clone() - * this stream can be cloned. We just need to have a reference of the * PRemoteLazyInputStream actor and its UUID. * - nsIAsyncInputStream.asyncWait() - see next section. * * Any other method (read, readSegment and so on) will fail if asyncWait() is * not previously called (see the next section). Basically, this inputStream * cannot be used synchronously for any 'real' reading operation. * * When the parent receives the serialization of a RemoteLazyInputStream, it is * able to retrieve the correct nsIInputStream using the UUID and * RemoteLazyInputStreamStorage. * * Parent to Child Streams, FileReader and BlobURL * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * The FileReader and BlobURL scenarios are described here. * * When content process needs to read data from a Blob sent from the parent * process, it must do it asynchronously using RemoteLazyInputStream as a * nsIAsyncInputStream stream. This happens calling * RemoteLazyInputStream.asyncWait(). At that point, the child actor will send a * StreamNeeded() IPC message to the parent side. When this is received, the * parent retrieves the 'real' stream from RemoteLazyInputStreamStorage using * the UUID, it will serialize the 'real' stream, and it will send it to the * child side. * * When the 'real' stream is received (RecvStreamReady()), the asyncWait * callback will be executed and, from that moment, any RemoteLazyInputStream * method will be forwarded to the 'real' stream ones. This means that the * reading will be available. * * RemoteLazyInputStream Thread * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * RemoteLazyInputStreamChild actor can be created in any thread (sort of) and * their top-level IPDL protocol is PBackground. These actors are wrapped by 1 * or more RemoteLazyInputStream objects in order to expose nsIInputStream * interface and be thread-safe. * * But IPDL actors are not thread-safe and any SendFoo() method must be executed * on the owning thread. This means that this thread must be kept alive for the * life-time of the RemoteLazyInputStream. * * In doing this, there are 2 main issues: * a. if a remote Blob is created on a worker (because of a * BroadcastChannel/MessagePort for instance) and it sent to the main-thread * via PostMessage(), we have to keep that worker alive. * b. if the remote Blob is created on the main-thread, any SendFoo() has to be * executed on the main-thread. This is true also when the inputStream is * used on another thread (note that nsIInputStream could do I/O and usually * they are used on special I/O threads). * * In order to avoid this, RemoteLazyInputStreamChild are 'migrated' to a * DOM-File thread. This is done in this way: * * 1. If RemoteLazyInputStreamChild actor is not already owned by DOM-File * thread, it calls Send__delete__ in order to inform the parent side that we * don't need this IPC channel on the current thread. * 2. A new RemoteLazyInputStreamChild is created. RemoteLazyInputStreamThread * is used to assign this actor to the DOM-File thread. * RemoteLazyInputStreamThread::GetOrCreate() creates the DOM-File thread if * it doesn't exist yet. Pending operations and RemoteLazyInputStreams are * moved onto the new actor. * 3. RemoteLazyInputStreamParent::Recv__delete__ is called on the parent side * and the parent actor is deleted. Doing this we don't remove the UUID from * RemoteLazyInputStreamStorage. * 4. The RemoteLazyInputStream constructor is sent with the new * RemoteLazyInputStreamChild actor, with the DOM-File thread's PBackground * as its manager. * 5. When the new RemoteLazyInputStreamParent actor is created, it will receive * the same UUID of the previous parent actor. The nsIInputStream will be * retrieved from RemoteLazyInputStreamStorage. * 6. In order to avoid leaks, RemoteLazyInputStreamStorage will monitor child * processes and in case one of them dies, it will release the * nsIInputStream objects belonging to that process. * * If any API wants to retrieve a 'real inputStream when the migration is in * progress, that operation is stored in a pending queue and processed at the * end of the migration. * * IPCBlob and nsIAsyncInputStream * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * RemoteLazyInputStream is always async. If the remote inputStream is not * async, RemoteLazyInputStream will create a pipe stream around it in order to * be consistently async. * * Slicing IPCBlob * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * Normally, slicing a blob consists of the creation of a new Blob, with a * SlicedInputStream() wrapping a clone of the original inputStream. But this * approach is extremely inefficient with IPCBlob, because it could be that we * wrap the pipe stream and not the remote inputStream (See the previous section * of this documentation). If we end up doing so, also if the remote * inputStream is seekable, the pipe will not be, and in order to reach the * starting point, SlicedInputStream will do consecutive read()s. * * This problem is fixed implmenting nsICloneableWithRange in * RemoteLazyInputStream and using cloneWithRange() when a StreamBlobImpl is * sliced. When the remote stream is received, it will be sliced directly. * * If we want to represent the hierarchy of the InputStream classes, instead * of having: |SlicedInputStream(RemoteLazyInputStream(Async * Pipe(RemoteStream)))|, we have: |RemoteLazyInputStream(Async * Pipe(SlicedInputStream(RemoteStream)))|. * * When RemoteLazyInputStream is serialized and sent to the parent process, * start and range are sent too and SlicedInputStream is used in the parent side * as well. * * Socket Process * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * The socket process is a separate process used to do networking operations. * When a website sends a blob as the body of a POST/PUT request, we need to * send the corresponding RemoteLazyInputStream to the socket process. * * This is the only serialization of RemoteLazyInputStream from parent to child * process and it works _only_ for the socket process. Do not expose this * serialization to PContent or PBackground or any other top-level IPDL protocol * without a DOM File peer review! * * The main difference between Socket Process is that DOM-File thread is not * used. Here is a list of reasons: * - DOM-File moves the ownership of the RemoteLazyInputStream actors to * PBackground, but in the Socket Process we don't have PBackground (yet?) * - Socket Process is a stable process with a simple life-time configuration: * we can keep the actors on the main-thread because no Workers are involved. */ namespace mozilla::dom { class IPCBlob; namespace IPCBlobUtils { already_AddRefed Deserialize(const IPCBlob& aIPCBlob); nsresult Serialize(BlobImpl* aBlobImpl, IPCBlob& aIPCBlob); } // namespace IPCBlobUtils } // namespace mozilla::dom namespace IPC { // ParamTraits implementation for BlobImpl. N.B: If the original BlobImpl cannot // be successfully serialized, a warning will be produced and a nullptr will be // sent over the wire. When Read()-ing a BlobImpl, // __always make sure to handle null!__ template <> struct ParamTraits { static void Write(IPC::MessageWriter* aWriter, mozilla::dom::BlobImpl* aParam); static bool Read(IPC::MessageReader* aReader, RefPtr* aResult); }; } // namespace IPC #endif // mozilla_dom_IPCBlobUtils_h