Document the API protocols in the README.
This commit is contained in:
James Coglan
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# websocket-extensions
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A minimal framework that supports the implementation of WebSocket extensions in
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a way that's decoupled from the main protocol. This library aims to allow a
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WebSocket extension to be written and used with any protocol library, by
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defining abstract representations of frames and messages that allow modules to
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co-operate.
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`websocket-extensions` provides a container for registering extension plugins,
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and provides all the functions required to negotiate which extensions to use
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during a session via the `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` header. By implementing the
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APIs defined in this document, an extension may be used by any WebSocket library
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based on this framework.
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## Installation
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$ npm install websocket-extensions
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```
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## Usage
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There are two main audiences for this library: authors implementing the
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WebSocket protocol, and authors implementing extensions. End users of a
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WebSocket library or an extension should be able to use any extension by passing
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it as an argument to their chosen protocol library, without needing to know how
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either of them work, or how the `websocket-extensions` framework operates.
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The library is designed with the aim that any protocol implementation and any
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extension can be used together, so long as they support an abstract
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representation of frames and messages.
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### Data types
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The APIs provided by the framework rely on two data types; extensions will
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expect to be given data and to be able to return data in these formats:
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#### `Frame`
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`Frame` is a structure representing a single WebSocket frame of any type. Frames
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are simple objects that must have at least the following properties, which
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represent the data encoded in the frame:
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| `final` | `true` if the `FIN` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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| `rsv1` | `true` if the `RSV1` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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| `rsv2` | `true` if the `RSV2` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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| `rsv3` | `true` if the `RSV3` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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| `opcode` | the numeric opcode (`0`, `1`, `2`, `8`, `9`, or `10`) of the frame |
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| `masked` | `true` if the `MASK` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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| `maskingKey` | a 4-byte `Buffer` if `masked` is `true`, otherwise `null` |
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| `length` | the numeric length of the frame's payload |
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| `payload` | a `Buffer` containing the (unmasked) application data |
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If an extension modifies any of these fields, it should make sure it leaves the
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frame in a consistent state, e.g. `length` must mirror the actual length of
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`payload` at all times.
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#### `Message`
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A `Message` represents a complete application message, which can be formed from
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text, binary and continuation frames. It has the following properties:
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| `frames` | an array of `Frame` objects |
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| `data` | the concatenation of all the frame payloads in the message |
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Again, if an extension modifies a `Message` it must leave it in a consistent
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state such that `data` is equal to the concatenated payloads in the `frames`
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array.
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### For driver authors
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A driver author is someone implementing the WebSocket protocol proper, and who
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wishes end users to be able to use WebSocket extensions with their library.
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At the start of a WebSocket session, on both the client and the server side,
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they should begin by creating an extension container and adding whichever
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extensions they want to use.
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```js
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var Extensions = require('websocket-extensions'),
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deflate = require('permessage-deflate');
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var exts = new Extensions();
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exts.add(deflate);
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```
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In the following examples, `exts` refers to this `Extensions` instance.
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#### Client sessions
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Clients will use the methods `generateOffer()` and `activate(header)`.
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As part of the handshake process, the client must send a
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`Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` header to advertise that it supports the registered
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extensions. This header should be generated using:
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```js
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request.headers['sec-websocket-extensions'] = exts.generateOffer();
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```
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This returns a string, for example `"permessage-deflate;
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client_max_window_bits"`, that represents all the extensions the client is
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offering to use, and their parameters. This string may contain multiple offers
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for the same extension.
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When the client receives the handshake response from the server, it should pass
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the incoming `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` header in to `exts` to activate the
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extensions the server has accepted:
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```js
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exts.activate(response.headers['sec-websocket-extensions']);
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```
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If the server has sent any extension responses that the client does not
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recognize, or are in conflict with one another for use of RSV bits, or that use
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invalid parameters for the named extensions, then `exts.activate()` will
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`throw`. In this event, the client driver should fail the connection with
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closing code `1010`.
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#### Server sessions
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Servers will use the method `generateResponse(header)`.
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A server session needs to generate a `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` header to send
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in its handshake response:
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```js
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var clientOffer = request.headers['sec-websocket-extensions'],
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extResponse = exts.generateResponse(clientOffer);
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response.headers['sec-websocket-extensions'] = extResponse;
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```
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Calling `exts.generateResponse(header)` activates those extensions the client
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has asked to use, if they are registered, asks each extension for a set of
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response parameters, and returns a string containing the response parameters for
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all accepted extensions.
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#### In both directions
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Both clients and servers will use the methods `validFrameRsv(frame)`,
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`processIncomingMessage(message)` and `processOutgoingMessage(message)`.
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The WebSocket protocol requires that frames do not have any of the `RSV` bits
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set unless there is an extension in use that allows otherwise. When processing
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an incoming frame, sessions should pass a `Frame` object to:
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```js
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exts.validFrameRsv(frame)
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```
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If this method returns `false`, the session should fail the WebSocket connection
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with closing code `1002`.
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To pass incoming messages through the extension stack, a session should
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construct a `Message` object according to the above datatype definitions, and
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call:
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```js
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exts.processIncomingMessage(message, function(error, msg) {
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// hand the message off to the application
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});
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```
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If any extensions fail to process the message, then the callback will yield an
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error and the session should fail the WebSocket connection with closing code
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`1010`. If `error` is `null`, then `msg` should be passed on to the application.
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To pass outgoing messages through the extension stack, a session should
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construct a `Message` as before, and call:
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```js
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exts.processOutgoingMessage(message, function(error, msg) {
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// write each frame in msg.frames to the transport
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});
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```
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If any extensions fail to process the message, then the callback will yield an
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error and the session should fail the WebSocket connection with closing code
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`1010`. If `error` is `null`, then each frame in `msg.frames` should be written
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to the transport, after applying `frame.maskingKey` to `frame.payload` if
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required.
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### For extension authors
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An extension author is someone implementing an extension that transforms
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WebSocket messages passing between the client and server. They would like to
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implement their extension once and have it work with any protocol library.
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Extension authors will not install `websocket-extensions` or call it directly.
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Instead, they should implement the following API to allow their extension to
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plug into the `websocket-extensions` framework.
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An `Extension` is any object that has the following properties:
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| `name` | a string containing the name of the extension as used in negotiation headers |
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| `type` | a string, must be `"permessage"` |
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| `rsv1` | either `true` if the extension uses the RSV1 bit, `false` otherwise |
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| `rsv2` | either `true` if the extension uses the RSV2 bit, `false` otherwise |
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| `rsv3` | either `true` if the extension uses the RSV3 bit, `false` otherwise |
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It must also implement the following methods:
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```js
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ext.createClientSession()
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```
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This returns a `ClientSession`, whose interface is defined below.
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```js
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ext.createServerSession(offers)
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```
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This takes an array of offer params and returns a `ServerSession`, whose
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interface is defined below. For example, if the client handshake contains the
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offer header:
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```
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Sec-WebSocket-Extensions: permessage-deflate; server_no_context_takeover; server_max_window_bits=8, \
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permessage-deflate; server_max_window_bits=15
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```
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then the `permessage-deflate` extension will receive the call:
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```js
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ext.createServerSession([
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{server_no_context_takeover: true, server_max_window_bits: 8},
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{server_max_window_bits: 15}
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]);
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```
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The extension must decide which set of parameters it wants to accept, if any,
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and return a `ServerSession` if it wants to accept the parameters and `null`
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otherwise.
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#### `ClientSession`
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A `ClientSession` is the type returned by `ext.createClientSession()`. It must
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implement the following methods, as well as the `Session` API listed below.
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```js
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clientSession.generateOffer()
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// e.g. -> [
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// {server_no_context_takeover: true, server_max_window_bits: 8},
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// {server_max_window_bits: 15}
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// ]
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```
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This must return a set of parameters to include in the client's
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`Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` offer header. If the session wants to offer multiple
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configurations, it can return an array of sets of parameters as shown above.
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```js
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clientSession.activate(params) // -> true
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```
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This must take a single set of parameters from the server's handshake response
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and use them to configure the client session. If the client accepts the given
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parameters, then this method must return `true`. If it returns any other value,
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the framework will interpret this as the client rejecting the response, and will
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`throw`.
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#### `ServerSession`
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A `ServerSession` is the type returned by `ext.createServerSession(offers)`. It
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must implement the following methods, as well as the `Session` API listed below.
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```js
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serverSession.generateResponse()
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// e.g. -> {server_max_window_bits: 8}
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```
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This returns the set of parameters the server session wants to send in its
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`Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` response header. Only one set of parameters is
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returned to the client per extension. Server sessions that would confict on
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their use of RSV bits are not activated.
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#### `Session`
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The `Session` API must be implemented by both client and server sessions. It
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contains three methods: `validFrameRsv(frame)`,
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`processIncomingMessage(message)` and `processOutgoingMessage(message)`.
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```js
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session.validFrameRsv(frame)
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```
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This takes a `Frame` as defined above, and returns a response indicating which
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RSV bits are allowed to be set on the frame. (If a session is having this method
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called, the session is active and should its bits can be used.) For example, the
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`permessage-deflate` extension allows the RSV1 bit to be set on `text` and
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`binary` frames, and implements this method like this:
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```js
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Session.prototype.validFrameRsv = function(frame) {
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if (frame.opcode === 1 || frame.opcode === 2) {
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return {rsv1: true, rsv2: false, rsv3: false};
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else
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return {rsv1: false, rsv2: false, rsv3: false};
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};
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```
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Note that returning `false` for an `rsvX` field does not mean the session is
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forbidding its use; the framework assumes all RSV bits are banned unless a
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session indicates otherwise.
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```js
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session.processIncomingMessage(message, function(error, msg) { ... })
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```
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The session must implement this method to take an incoming `Message` as defined
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above, transform it in any way it needs, then return it via the callback. If
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there is an error processing the message, this method should yield an error as
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the first argument.
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```js
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session.processOutgoingMessage(message, function(error, msg) { ... })
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```
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The session must implement this method to take an outgoing `Message` as defined
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above, transform it in any way it needs, then return it via the callback. If
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there is an error processing the message, this method should yield an error as
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the first argument.
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## Examples
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* Consumer: [websocket-driver](https://github.com/faye/websocket-driver-node)
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* Provider: [permessage-deflate](https://github.com/faye/permessage-deflate-node)
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## License
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@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ var Extensions = function() {
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var instance = {
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add: function(ext) {
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if (typeof ext.name !== 'string') throw new TypeError('extension.name must be a string');
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if (ext.type !== 'permessage') throw new TypeError('extension.type must be "permessage"');
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if (typeof ext.rsv1 !== 'boolean') throw new TypeError('extension.rsv1 must be true or false');
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if (typeof ext.rsv2 !== 'boolean') throw new TypeError('extension.rsv2 must be true or false');
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