Boost asio async http client timeout?

Question

In boost asio async http client, how to set a timeout to a http download operation?

I checked the examples but they don't provide an http client with timeout.

More specifically, how to modify this example to support timeout:

#include <iostream>
#include <istream>
#include <ostream>
#include <string>
#include <boost/asio.hpp>
#include <boost/bind.hpp>

using boost::asio::ip::tcp;

class client
{
public:
  client(boost::asio::io_service& io_service,
      const std::string& server, const std::string& path)
    : resolver_(io_service),
      socket_(io_service)
  {
    std::ostream request_stream(&request_);
    request_stream << "GET " << path << " HTTP/1.0\r\n";
    request_stream << "Host: " << server << "\r\n";
    request_stream << "Accept: */*\r\n";
    request_stream << "Connection: close\r\n\r\n";

    tcp::resolver::query query(server, "http");
    resolver_.async_resolve(query,
        boost::bind(&client::handle_resolve, this,
          boost::asio::placeholders::error,
          boost::asio::placeholders::iterator));
  }

private:
  void handle_resolve(const boost::system::error_code& err,
      tcp::resolver::iterator endpoint_iterator)
  {
    if (!err)
    {
      boost::asio::async_connect(socket_, endpoint_iterator,
          boost::bind(&client::handle_connect, this,
            boost::asio::placeholders::error));
    }
    else
    {
      std::cout << "Error: " << err.message() << "\n";
    }
  }

  void handle_connect(const boost::system::error_code& err)
  {
    if (!err)
    {
      boost::asio::async_write(socket_, request_,
          boost::bind(&client::handle_write_request, this,
            boost::asio::placeholders::error));
    }
    else
    {
      std::cout << "Error: " << err.message() << "\n";
    }
  }

  void handle_write_request(const boost::system::error_code& err)
  {
    if (!err)
    {
      boost::asio::async_read_until(socket_, response_, "\r\n",
          boost::bind(&client::handle_read_status_line, this,
            boost::asio::placeholders::error));
    }
    else
    {
      std::cout << "Error: " << err.message() << "\n";
    }
  }

  void handle_read_status_line(const boost::system::error_code& err)
  {
    if (!err)
    {
      std::istream response_stream(&response_);
      std::string http_version;
      response_stream >> http_version;
      unsigned int status_code;
      response_stream >> status_code;
      std::string status_message;
      std::getline(response_stream, status_message);
      if (!response_stream || http_version.substr(0, 5) != "HTTP/")
      {
        std::cout << "Invalid response\n";
        return;
      }
      if (status_code != 200)
      {
        std::cout << "Response returned with status code ";
        std::cout << status_code << "\n";
        return;
      }

      boost::asio::async_read_until(socket_, response_, "\r\n\r\n",
          boost::bind(&client::handle_read_headers, this,
            boost::asio::placeholders::error));
    }
    else
    {
      std::cout << "Error: " << err << "\n";
    }
  }

  void handle_read_headers(const boost::system::error_code& err)
  {
    if (!err)
    {
      std::istream response_stream(&response_);
      std::string header;
      while (std::getline(response_stream, header) && header != "\r")
        std::cout << header << "\n";
      std::cout << "\n";

      if (response_.size() > 0)
        std::cout << &response_;

      boost::asio::async_read(socket_, response_,
          boost::asio::transfer_at_least(1),
          boost::bind(&client::handle_read_content, this,
            boost::asio::placeholders::error));
    }
    else
    {
      std::cout << "Error: " << err << "\n";
    }
  }

  void handle_read_content(const boost::system::error_code& err)
  {
    if (!err)
    {
      std::cout << &response_;

      boost::asio::async_read(socket_, response_,
          boost::asio::transfer_at_least(1),
          boost::bind(&client::handle_read_content, this,
            boost::asio::placeholders::error));
    }
    else if (err != boost::asio::error::eof)
    {
      std::cout << "Error: " << err << "\n";
    }
  }

  tcp::resolver resolver_;
  tcp::socket socket_;
  boost::asio::streambuf request_;
  boost::asio::streambuf response_;
};

int http_download(string &server, string &path)
{
  try
  {
    boost::asio::io_service io_service;
    client c(io_service, server, path);
    io_service.run();
  }
  catch (std::exception& e)
  {
    std::cout << "Exception: " << e.what() << "\n";
  }

  return 0;
}

Answer 1

If you need simply exit from http_download through 10 seconds (as example) you can use that way:

Add deadline_timer to class client:

boost::asio::deadline_timer timer_;

Initialiaze it in constructor:

timer_(io_service,boost::posix_time::seconds(10)),

Add handler for timer:

timer_.async_wait(boost::bind(&client::close_connection, this));

Create method close_connection in class client, where you need close socket. Possible constructor:

  client(boost::asio::io_service& io_service,
      const std::string& server, const std::string& path)
    : resolver_(io_service),
      socket_(io_service),
      timer_(io_service,boost::posix_time::seconds(10))
  {
    timer_.async_wait(boost::bind(&client::close_connection, this));
    std::ostream request_stream(&request_);
    request_stream << "GET " << path << " HTTP/1.0\r\n";
    request_stream << "Host: " << server << "\r\n";
    request_stream << "Accept: */*\r\n";
    request_stream << "Connection: close\r\n\r\n";
    ...

  }

Answer 2

You can run a deadline_timer at the same time and then call socket.cancel() when it expires, which will cause the current operation to abort. You can then handle the cancellation error code specifically if you want.

As an example, this is the approach taken by MS's Casablanca code.