The advantage of these abstractions is that, when programming an application, we only need to consider the highest-level protocol. For example, a web browser needs only to implement the protocols dealing specifically with websites—HTTP, HTML, CSS, and so on. It does not need to bother with implementing TCP/IP, and it certainly doesn't have to understand how an Ethernet or Wi-Fi packet is encoded. It can rely on ready-made implementations of the lower layers for these tasks. These implementations are provided by the operating system (for example, Windows, Linux, and macOS).
When communicating over a network, data must be processed down through the layers at the sender and up again through the layers at the receiver. For example, if we have a web server, Host A, which is transmitting a web page to the receiver, Host B, it may look like this:
Hands-On Network Programming with C
By :
Hands-On Network Programming with C
By:
Overview of this book
Network programming enables processes to communicate with each other over a computer network, but it is a complex task that requires programming with multiple libraries and protocols. With its support for third-party libraries and structured documentation, C is an ideal language to write network programs.
Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts and practical examples, this C network programming book begins with the fundamentals of Internet Protocol, TCP, and UDP. You’ll explore client-server and peer-to-peer models for information sharing and connectivity with remote computers. The book will also cover HTTP and HTTPS for communicating between your browser and website, and delve into hostname resolution with DNS, which is crucial to the functioning of the modern web. As you advance, you’ll gain insights into asynchronous socket programming and streams, and explore debugging and error handling. Finally, you’ll study network monitoring and implement security best practices.
By the end of this book, you’ll have experience of working with client-server applications and be able to implement new network programs in C.
The code in this book is compatible with the older C99 version as well as the latest C18 and C++17 standards. You’ll work with robust, reliable, and secure code that is portable across operating systems, including Winsock sockets for Windows and POSIX sockets for Linux and macOS.
Table of Contents (25 chapters)
Preface
Free Chapter
Section 1 - Getting Started with Network Programming
Introducing Networks and Protocols
Getting to Grips with Socket APIs
An In-Depth Overview of TCP Connections
Establishing UDP Connections
Hostname Resolution and DNS
Section 2 - An Overview of Application Layer Protocols
Building a Simple Web Client
Building a Simple Web Server
Making Your Program Send Email
Section 3 - Understanding Encrypted Protocols and OpenSSL
Loading Secure Web Pages with HTTPS and OpenSSL
Implementing a Secure Web Server
Establishing SSH Connections with libssh
Section 4 - Odds and Ends
Network Monitoring and Security
Socket Programming Tips and Pitfalls
Web Programming for the Internet of Things
Answers to Questions
Setting Up Your C Compiler on Windows
Setting Up Your C Compiler on Linux
Setting Up Your C Compiler on macOS
Example Programs
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