use java.nio for http client?

[Corey_G]

I am writing some code to create an HTTP client. URLConnection (and
HttpURLConnection) seem to be too limited, so I want to do it at the
socket level. It looks like I can choose java.io or java.nio for
doing this. I read nio is newer and "high performance". I am going
to eventually use this as the basis of a load testing tool, so
scalabilty is important.

any advice? is there any reason not to use nio instead of io?

regards,
-Corey Goldberg

 

[Sudsy]

I am writing some code to create an HTTP client. URLConnection (and
HttpURLConnection) seem to be too limited, so I want to do it at the
socket level. <snip>

Ah, so you want to reinvent the wheel! Good for you!!
One question: how does HttpURLConnection "seem to be too limited"?
Could you give us an all an example of what's missing, enough to
justify designing/developing/debugging code which implements a
standard protocol?
Are you then going to extend it further and write some native code
just so you can REALLY get down to the "nuts and bolts"?
Please do yourself a favour and reconsider.
Very few applications need more than what is already provided. If
you truly believe that your situation is exceptional then please
explain. There just might be a simpler (and standard) mechanism...

 

[Roedy Green]

Ah, so you want to reinvent the wheel! Good for you!!

IT could just be for the learning experience.

It is good for one's soul to write such code, as it writing some sort
of compiler.

 

[Andrew Thompson]

...

IT could just be for the learning experience.

The bit at the top of the post you trimmed.. viz.
"I am writing some code to create an HTTP client. URLConnection (and
HttpURLConnection) seem to be too limited, so I want to do it at the
socket level"

Seems to suggest 'No'.

 

[Tony Morris]

any advice?
HTTP client using java.nio:
http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/releases/nio/

is there any reason not to use nio instead of io?

When supporting VM versions < 1.4

--
Tony Morris
(BInfTech, Cert 3 I.T.)
Software Engineer
(2003 VTR1000F)
Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform (1.4)
Sun Certified Developer for the Java 2 Platform

 

[Corey_G]

Ah, so you want to reinvent the wheel! Good for you!!

One question: how does HttpURLConnection "seem to be too limited"?
Could you give us an all an example of what's missing, enough to
justify designing/developing/debugging code which implements a
standard protocol?

Thanks for the positive and encouraging response!

My question wasn't "should I write my own http client?" My question
was "I AM GOING TO write my own http client, what should I use". I am
new to java, but have written socket level clients in many other
languages. So part of the purpose is a learning experience in how to
write java.. part of the purpose is to learn network and socket
programming in java.

Please do yourself a favour and reconsider.

reconsider what? learning socket programming in java by plugging in
some pre-baked code thats already written? If this was small piece of
larger client project, I would most likely use something like the
Jakarta Commons HttpClient.
But its rather difficult to learn socket programming without actually
doing socket programming.. don't you think?

thanks again for your support.

 

[Andrew Thompson]

My question wasn't "should I write my own http client?" My question
was "I AM GOING TO write my own http client, what should I use".
OoooK..

...I am
new to java, but have written socket level clients in many other
languages. So part of the purpose is a learning experience in how to
write java.. part of the purpose is to learn network and socket
programming in java.

So _this_ is the bit Sudsy was supposed to see in
his Crystal Ball? I got it.

Problem is, the only 'crystal' Sudsy's got is
better suited to the containmnent a far more
important thing, beer. ;-)

 

[electric sheep]

Ah, so you want to reinvent the wheel! Good for you!!
One question: how does HttpURLConnection "seem to be too limited"?
Could you give us an all an example of what's missing, enough to
justify designing/developing/debugging code which implements a
standard protocol?
Are you then going to extend it further and write some native code
just so you can REALLY get down to the "nuts and bolts"?
Please do yourself a favour and reconsider.
Very few applications need more than what is already provided. If
you truly believe that your situation is exceptional then please
explain. There just might be a simpler (and standard) mechanism...

I'm sure this is unrelated to why he thinks it is too limited,
but I too was thinking of doing my own "HttpURLConnection" class for
this reason:

There is no way to set a reasonable time out value for the connection.

I am interested in writing 2 apps. A website mirroring tool, and a proxy
checker. Each of which will fire up several threads. Most good website
mirroring tools allow the user to specify the timeout period, and I was
thinking of doing the same.

Any ideas ?

 

[Christophe Vanfleteren]

electric sheep wrote:

I'm sure this is unrelated to why he thinks it is too limited,
but I too was thinking of doing my own "HttpURLConnection" class for
this reason:

There is no way to set a reasonable time out value for the connection.

I am interested in writing 2 apps. A website mirroring tool, and a proxy
checker. Each of which will fire up several threads. Most good website
mirroring tools allow the user to specify the timeout period, and I was
thinking of doing the same.

Any ideas ?

Jakarta commons HttpClient allows you to specifiy the timeouts.

 

[Thomas Weidenfeller]

My question wasn't "should I write my own http client?" My question
was "I AM GOING TO write my own http client, what should I use".

And you got your answer: URLConnection.

I am
new to java,

So this gives you enough competence to tell us all that URLConnection is
to limited for your purpose? For the purpose which you refused to state

But now you say

So part of the purpose is a learning experience

And why didn't you tell us this the first time? People here usually
don't program for the learning experience, but to solve real world
problems. Consider to have your learning experience in
comp.lang.java.help instead.

in how to
write java.

And you got your answer: Use the pre-existing classes on the highest
possible abstraction layer. This is how things are done in Java.

reconsider what?

Your attitude. Your way of formulating questions. Your way of handling
the good advice you got. Your bad case of "not invented here" syndrome.

learning socket programming in java by plugging in
some pre-baked code thats already written?

Nowhere in your original post you mentioned that you want to learn Java
socket programming. Don't blame us for your inability to express your
wishes.

/Thomas

 

[electric sheep]

electric sheep wrote:



Jakarta commons HttpClient allows you to specifiy the timeouts.

awesome !
that looks like a great package.
thanks.

 

[Corey_G]

Your attitude. Your way of formulating questions. Your way of handling

the good advice you got.

apologies on my part then (although im still somewhat confused how
that was inferred from posts

I've since written clients using URLConnection, Java.io, Java.nio, and
the Jakarta Commons HTTP Client.

I was hoping to be enlightened on the pros and cons of using Java.nio
for socket programming, not to start trouble. appologies again.. I
will ask questions elsewhere next time.

regards.

 

[Yu SONG]

There is no way to set a reasonable time out value for the connection.

I am interested in writing 2 apps. A website mirroring tool, and a proxy
checker. Each of which will fire up several threads. Most good website
mirroring tools allow the user to specify the timeout period, and I was
thinking of doing the same.

Any ideas ?

You can write a customized timeout class, which can give you more
flexibility and control.

 

[Marc Slemko]

You can write a customized timeout class, which can give you more
flexibility and control.

No, no you can't unless you want to leave threads sitting around stuck,
unable to kill them or make progress.

You can't set a socket timeout since the code behind HttpURLConnection
doesn't let you get at the socket.

And even in 1.5, they "fixed" this problem but obviously still don't
get the idea of timeouts since they added a read and connect timeout but
no write timeout.

There is a bunch of other stuff Sun does behind the scenes that is
pretty nasty for certain applications, I don't know if they have fixed
them in 1.5 or not.

Anyone who has used Java's built in HttpURLConnection class for any
significant volume of requests to arbitrary remote webservers will have
numerous reasons why using it is a non-starter. It is pretty shameful
how many really basic things like this do not have any useful standard
implementations that are included in J2SE.