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diff --git a/doc/sources/tutorial-hpack.rst b/doc/sources/tutorial-hpack.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..36e82d9 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/sources/tutorial-hpack.rst @@ -0,0 +1,126 @@ +Tutorial: HPACK API +=================== + +In this tutorial, we describe basic use of nghttp2's HPACK API. We +briefly describe the APIs for deflating and inflating header fields. +The full example of using these APIs, `deflate.c`_, is attached at the +end of this page. It also resides in the examples directory in the +archive or repository. + +Deflating (encoding) headers +---------------------------- + +First we need to initialize a :type:`nghttp2_hd_deflater` object using +the `nghttp2_hd_deflate_new()` function:: + + int nghttp2_hd_deflate_new(nghttp2_hd_deflater **deflater_ptr, + size_t deflate_hd_table_bufsize_max); + +This function allocates a :type:`nghttp2_hd_deflater` object, +initializes it, and assigns its pointer to ``*deflater_ptr``. The +*deflate_hd_table_bufsize_max* is the upper bound of header table size +the deflater will use. This will limit the memory usage by the +deflater object for the dynamic header table. If in doubt, just +specify 4096 here, which is the default upper bound of dynamic header +table buffer size. + +To encode header fields, use the `nghttp2_hd_deflate_hd()` function:: + + ssize_t nghttp2_hd_deflate_hd(nghttp2_hd_deflater *deflater, + uint8_t *buf, size_t buflen, + const nghttp2_nv *nva, size_t nvlen); + +The *deflater* is the deflater object initialized by +`nghttp2_hd_deflate_new()` described above. The encoded byte string is +written to the buffer *buf*, which has length *buflen*. The *nva* is +a pointer to an array of headers fields, each of type +:type:`nghttp2_nv`. *nvlen* is the number of header fields which +*nva* contains. + +It is important to initialize and assign all members of +:type:`nghttp2_nv`. For security sensitive header fields (such as +cookies), set the :macro:`NGHTTP2_NV_FLAG_NO_INDEX` flag in +:member:`nghttp2_nv.flags`. Setting this flag prevents recovery of +sensitive header fields by compression based attacks: This is achieved +by not inserting the header field into the dynamic header table. + +`nghttp2_hd_deflate_hd()` processes all headers given in *nva*. The +*nva* must include all request or response header fields to be sent in +one HEADERS (or optionally following (multiple) CONTINUATION +frame(s)). The *buf* must have enough space to store the encoded +result, otherwise the function will fail. To estimate the upper bound +of the encoded result length, use `nghttp2_hd_deflate_bound()`:: + + size_t nghttp2_hd_deflate_bound(nghttp2_hd_deflater *deflater, + const nghttp2_nv *nva, size_t nvlen); + +Pass this function the same parameters (*deflater*, *nva*, and +*nvlen*) which will be passed to `nghttp2_hd_deflate_hd()`. + +Subsequent calls to `nghttp2_hd_deflate_hd()` will use the current +encoder state and perform differential encoding, which yields HPAC's +fundamental compression gain. + +If `nghttp2_hd_deflate_hd()` fails, the failure is fatal and any +further calls with the same deflater object will fail. Thus it's very +important to use `nghttp2_hd_deflate_bound()` to determine the +required size of the output buffer. + +To delete a :type:`nghttp2_hd_deflater` object, use the +`nghttp2_hd_deflate_del()` function. + +Inflating (decoding) headers +---------------------------- + +A :type:`nghttp2_hd_inflater` object is used to inflate compressed +header data. To initialize the object, use +`nghttp2_hd_inflate_new()`:: + + int nghttp2_hd_inflate_new(nghttp2_hd_inflater **inflater_ptr); + +To inflate header data, use `nghttp2_hd_inflate_hd2()`:: + + ssize_t nghttp2_hd_inflate_hd2(nghttp2_hd_inflater *inflater, + nghttp2_nv *nv_out, int *inflate_flags, + const uint8_t *in, size_t inlen, + int in_final); + +`nghttp2_hd_inflate_hd2()` reads a stream of bytes and outputs a +single header field at a time. Multiple calls are normally required to +read a full stream of bytes and output all of the header fields. + +The *inflater* is the inflater object initialized above. The *nv_out* +is a pointer to a :type:`nghttp2_nv` into which one header field may +be stored. The *in* is a pointer to input data, and *inlen* is its +length. The caller is not required to specify the whole deflated +header data via *in* at once: Instead it can call this function +multiple times as additional data bytes become available. If +*in_final* is nonzero, it tells the function that the passed data is +the final sequence of deflated header data. + +The *inflate_flags* is an output parameter; on success the function +sets it to a bitset of flags. It will be described later. + +This function returns when each header field is inflated. When this +happens, the function sets the :macro:`NGHTTP2_HD_INFLATE_EMIT` flag +in *inflate_flags*, and a header field is stored in *nv_out*. The +return value indicates the number of bytes read from *in* processed so +far, which may be less than *inlen*. The caller should call the +function repeatedly until all bytes are processed. Processed bytes +should be removed from *in*, and *inlen* should be adjusted +appropriately. + +If *in_final* is nonzero and all given data was processed, the +function sets the :macro:`NGHTTP2_HD_INFLATE_FINAL` flag in +*inflate_flags*. When you see this flag set, call the +`nghttp2_hd_inflate_end_headers()` function. + +If *in_final* is zero and the :macro:`NGHTTP2_HD_INFLATE_EMIT` flag is +not set, it indicates that all given data was processed. The caller +is required to pass additional data. + +Example usage of `nghttp2_hd_inflate_hd2()` is shown in the +`inflate_header_block()` function in `deflate.c`_. + +Finally, to delete a :type:`nghttp2_hd_inflater` object, use +`nghttp2_hd_inflate_del()`. |