HttpServer class

A server that delivers content, such as web pages, using the HTTP protocol.

Note: HttpServer provides low-level HTTP functionality. We recommend users evaluate the high-level APIs discussed at Write HTTP servers on dart.dev.

HttpServer is a Stream that provides HttpRequest objects. Each HttpRequest has an associated HttpResponse object. The server responds to a request by writing to that HttpResponse object. The following example shows how to bind an HttpServer to an IPv6 InternetAddress on port 80 (the standard port for HTTP servers) and how to listen for requests. Port 80 is the default HTTP port. However, on most systems accessing this requires super-user privileges. For local testing consider using a non-reserved port (1024 and above).

import 'dart:io';

void main() async {
  var server = await HttpServer.bind(InternetAddress.anyIPv6, 80);
  await server.forEach((HttpRequest request) {
    request.response.write('Hello, world!');
    request.response.close();
  });
}

Incomplete requests, in which all or part of the header is missing, are ignored, and no exceptions or HttpRequest objects are generated for them. Likewise, when writing to an HttpResponse, any Socket exceptions are ignored and any future writes are ignored.

The HttpRequest exposes the request headers and provides the request body, if it exists, as a Stream of data. If the body is unread, it is drained when the server writes to the HttpResponse or closes it.

Bind with a secure HTTPS connection

Use bindSecure to create an HTTPS server.

The server presents a certificate to the client. The certificate chain and the private key are set in the SecurityContext object that is passed to bindSecure.

import 'dart:io';

void main() async {
  var chain =
      Platform.script.resolve('certificates/server_chain.pem').toFilePath();
  var key = Platform.script.resolve('certificates/server_key.pem').toFilePath();
  var context = SecurityContext()
    ..useCertificateChain(chain)
    ..usePrivateKey(key, password: 'dartdart');
  var server =
      await HttpServer.bindSecure(InternetAddress.anyIPv6, 443, context);
  await server.forEach((HttpRequest request) {
    request.response.write('Hello, world!');
    request.response.close();
  });
}

The certificates and keys are PEM files, which can be created and managed with the tools in OpenSSL.