The HTTP 1.1 specification says that any HTTP 1.1 application must be
capable of handing chunked responses. It is not quite clear if the
server is expected to understand chunked messages (request). Is there a
reason why a client would send a chunked request? And does a HTTP 1.1
compatible server HAVE to implement chunked transfers?

Thanks in advance for any clarifications/answers,
Prashant

In article <1143577214.964565.283830@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups .com>, "Prashant" <vprashant@gmail.com> writes:
> The HTTP 1.1 specification says that any HTTP 1.1 application must be
> capable of handing chunked responses. It is not quite clear if the
> server is expected to understand chunked messages (request).

Yes, any conforming HTTP/1.1 implementation MUST support the chunked
transfer-coding. RFC 2616 3.6.1. Note that servers are applications
in 2616 (1.3).

> Is there a
> reason why a client would send a chunked request?

Certainly - all the same reasons that a server might send a chunked
response. If the length of the content-body is unknown when the
request begins, for example, chunking relieves the client from having
to buffer it in its entirety just to determine the length.

In fact, chunking is arguably *more* useful for the client, since
HTTP ignores the availability of TCP half-close, so the client has
one fewer option than the server for indicating the end of its
message.

> And does a HTTP 1.1
> compatible server HAVE to implement chunked transfers?

It has to be able to receive and process them. An origin server
never has to chunk a response. A proxy or gateway may need to pass
a chunked response through.

--
Michael Wojcik michael.wojcik@microfocus.com

The surface of the word "profession" is hard and rough, the inside mixed with
poison. It's this that prevents me crossing over. And what is there on the
other side? Only what people longingly refer to as "the other side".
-- Tawada Yoko (trans. Margaret Mitsutani)

Thanks. That was very useful.

Do browsers ever send chunked requests?

I can imagine how chunked transfers can be useful for uploading files.
I am trying to think of other scenarios where a client might chunk up
requests. In a normal browser->webserver interaction scenarion, I guess
this never happens.

Prashant

In article <1143593643.504849.262350@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
"Prashant" <vprashant@gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks. That was very useful.
>
> Do browsers ever send chunked requests?
>
> I can imagine how chunked transfers can be useful for uploading files.
> I am trying to think of other scenarios where a client might chunk up
> requests. In a normal browser->webserver interaction scenarion, I guess
> this never happens.

I suppose the browser might use chunked encoding when uploading a file,
to handle the possibility that the file is modified while it's
transmitting it. With normal Content-Length, the browser would have to
determine the file's length when it first starts. To be totally
reliable, it would have to copy the file to a temporary location, in
case the file shrinks during the transfer.

--
Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***
*** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***

In article <1143593643.504849.262350@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>, "Prashant" <vprashant@gmail.com> writes:
> Thanks. That was very useful.

Please provide context, by quoting the significant portion of the
message you're replying to, when replying on Usenet. Usenet is
not Google Groups. Not everyone will have convenient access to
the message you reply to.

> Do browsers ever send chunked requests?

I don't know; I haven't studied the source of every browser. Best
to assume that they do.

> I can imagine how chunked transfers can be useful for uploading files.
> I am trying to think of other scenarios where a client might chunk up
> requests. In a normal browser->webserver interaction scenarion, I guess
> this never happens.

It will never happen for a GET request, since there's no content-
body in a GET. Most browser requests are GETs.

--
Michael Wojcik michael.wojcik@microfocus.com

Shakespeare writes bombast and knows it; Mr Thomas writes bombast and
doesn't. That is the difference. -- Geoffrey Johnson