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HTTP Response support for HTTP/1.1 chunked encoding

Problem Statement

The current implementation lacks robust support for handling chunked encoded responses and client connection management. This has not been a critical issue until recently, where Docker containers are observed to rewrite requests to use HTTP/1.1, even when HTTP/1.0 is requested. Consequently, the client is expected to manage the connection closure once the response has been fully received, leading to connection handling issues.

Who will Benefit?

This enhancement will benefit all users interacting with services running in Docker containers where HTTP/1.1 requests are prevalent. It will ensure more reliable and compliant HTTP communication, particularly for applications relying on chunked transfer encoding and proper connection management.

Benefits and Risks

Benefits:

  • Improved Compliance: Ensures compliance with HTTP/1.1 standards regarding chunked transfer encoding and connection management.
  • Enhanced Reliability: Addresses connection handling issues, leading to more reliable communication with Docker-based services.
  • Future-Proofing: Prepares the system to handle HTTP/1.1 requests more effectively, accommodating potential future requirements.

Risks:

  • Compatibility Concerns: Potential backward compatibility issues with existing HTTP/1.0-based implementations.
  • Complexity Increase: Introducing chunked encoding support and enhanced connection handling might increase the complexity of the HTTP handling logic.

Proposed Solution

  1. Implement Support for Chunked Encoding:

    • Add functionality to properly handle chunked transfer encoding in HTTP responses.
    • Ensure the system can decode chunked responses and process them correctly.

  2. Client Connection Management:

    • Enhance the client connection handling logic to properly manage the closure of connections once the response is fully received.
    • Implement logic to detect the end of a chunked response and close the connection as required.

  3. Configuration and Compatibility:

    • Provide configuration options to enable or disable chunked encoding support and connection management enhancements.
    • Ensure backward compatibility with existing HTTP/1.0 implementations, allowing for a smooth transition.

  4. Testing and Validation:

    • Thoroughly test the implementation with both HTTP/1.0 and HTTP/1.1 requests.
    • Validate the changes in a Docker-based environment to ensure the issue is resolved.

Examples

Examples of similar implementations can be found in various HTTP client libraries and frameworks that handle chunked transfer encoding and connection management.

Priority

High

Severity

High

Acceptance Criteria

  • Proper handling of chunked transfer encoding in HTTP responses.
  • Enhanced client connection management to close connections after fully receiving responses.
  • Configuration options to enable/disable these features.
  • Successful validation in Docker-based environments where HTTP/1.1 requests are prevalent.

Note

This feature aims to resolve current issues with Docker container HTTP request rewriting and improve the overall robustness of the HTTP handling logic.

Edited by Jamie Carl