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LURC

Overview

This project is an attempt to make a command-line client (like cURL) built in C++ that allows users to perform basic HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to a specified URL. The client provides a way to specify HTTP methods, headers, and body data via command-line arguments, making it a simple yet powerful tool for interacting with web servers. The application includes components for URL parsing, request generation, and sending/receiving data over a network.

Features

BRANCH_INFO

  • Supports HTTP/HTTPS methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.
  • Allows setting custom headers and request data.
  • Verbose mode to display request and response details.
  • Validates URL formats and ports.
  • Sends requests and handles responses using raw socket programming.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • A C++ compiler supporting C++11 or later.
  • CMake (recommended for building the project).

Building the Project

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/NayanPahuja/lurc.git
cd lurc

  2. Create a build directory and compile:

    mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make

  3. Run the executable:

    ./lurc

Usage

To run the HTTP/HTTPS client, use the following command format:

./lurc [-v] [-X <method>] [-H <header>] [-d <data>] [-o <file_name>]<URL>

Command-Line Options

  • -v: Verbose mode, displays detailed request and response information.
  • -X <method>: Specifies the HTTP method to use (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE). Defaults to GET.
  • -H <header>: Adds a header to the request in the format Key: Value.
  • -d <data>: Specifies the data to send in the body of the request (only applicable for methods like POST or PUT).
  • <URL>: The URL to which the request is sent.

Example Commands

  1. Basic GET request:

    ./lurc http://eu.httpbin.org/get

  2. POST request with headers and data:

    ./lurc -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"name": "test"}' http://eu.httpbin.org/post

  3. Verbose GET request:

    ./lurc -v http://eu.httpbin.org/get

  4. Downloading an Image:

    ./lurc -o test.jpg http://www.keycdn.com/img/example.jpg

Error Handling

  • If an invalid URL or port is provided, the program will display an appropriate error message.
  • Incorrect usage of options will result in detailed error messages guiding the user to correct the input format.

Project Structure

  • main.cpp: Handles command-line parsing and controls the flow of the HTTP request process.
  • url_parser.h / url_parser.cpp: Contains logic to parse URLs into components (protocol, host, port, path).
  • http_client.h / http_client.cpp: Manages the creation and sending of HTTP requests and the handling of responses.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

Roadmap

  • Add HEAD and PATCH method in HTTP.

  • Add handling of keep alive and using it to send multiple requests over the same TCP connection.

  • Add the ability to continue downloads by adding a flag like in curl -.

  • Add functionality depending on status codes such as Redirection etc. Use a flag -L to redirect location like curl.

  • Add a download progress bar (optional).

  • Any vulnerabilities or improvement suggestions are always welcome!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments