8 ms·

Very basic HTTP implementation in Swift

45 points by huydotnet 11y ago

cdnsteve 11y ago
I think this opens up the possibilities for Swift to be used as a web language, not just a iOS language. I have to say, Swift syntax is very similar to PHP 7. Interesting times for sure. I'll be keeping a close eye on Swift in terms of its adoption as a web language.
- EugeneOZ 11y ago
  There is full http server: https://github.com/glock45/swifter https://github.com/glock45/swifter
- hundchenkatze 11y ago
  Here's a full blown application server as well. https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect
- pbreit 11y ago
  In that sense, would you be comparing Swift to Go, Python/Ruby, JavaScript, PHP? Is Swift "better" than the others?
  - cballard 11y ago
    Swift has a passable type system, support for generics, and doesn't use a VM. Tooling support isn't there for Linux currently, so the act of writing code isn't much better than Python (no Xcode-type autocompletion), but once you want to run it, the compiler will scream at you if you pass ducks where penguins are expected - while still allowing you to reason about swimming birds in general.
- EugeneOZ 11y ago
  Swift has nothing similar to PHP 7. Typing in PHP 7 is ridiculous - you can set "Array" as a "strict" type of return value, but inside that array you can have whole universe. And any optional type system is not a type system at all. I learned it when tried Dart. PHP 7 is too primitive in comparison with Swift.
andoma 11y ago
Oh, this is so cute...
nodesocket 11y ago
Interesting to see if an Express like framework comes about. Does it even make sense to write a backend http RESTful API in Swift? Wonder what the performance is vs node.js and go?
- huydotnet 11y ago
  Yeah that's what I'm planning to do, I have the previous express-like framework in C++ and now I'm porting it to Swift :D
- breckinloggins 11y ago
  I made something in the Swift 1.0 days called "swell" that shows how this might look. https://github.com/breckinloggins/Swell https://github.com/breckinloggins/Swell It could be used as an example. In particular, the "builder" syntax that I did with a terrible TLS context hack could be replaced with autoclosures (I think). Edit: more Sinatra-like than Express-like, but the idea still stands.
- hundchenkatze 11y ago
  Here's one. https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect Since work was started on this before Swift's open sourcing/linux support was added I doubt it compiles on linux just yet. I'm sure it'll be added though.
nodesocket 11y ago
Unrelated, but is this a common practice in Swift? #if os(Linux) import Glibc #else import Darwin.C #endif Feels a bit nasty.
- huydotnet 11y ago
  Yeah, I grabbed this lines from Apple document https://swift.org/package-manager/#example-usage https://swift.org/package-manager/#example-usage
- trymas 11y ago
  AFAIK, at least for now it is. Libraries on Linux and OS X just are different. Maybe when core libraries [0] will be fully finished we could just use `import Foundation` on both platforms. [0] https://swift.org/core-libraries/ https://swift.org/core-libraries/
- nly 11y ago
  Are a bunch of #ifdef's in C any less nasty?
- edgyswingset 11y ago
  I would imagine it to be a fact of life for library developers.
srameshc 11y ago
How mature is Swift for writing backend applications in its current state when compared to Python or maybe Rust ?
- huydotnet 11y ago
  It's potential :D
Matthias247 11y ago
Sorry - but sending a bunch of static bytes through a TCP socket without even reading something from the input is not even a basic HTTP implementation.
- mpweiher 11y ago
  But, but, but...it's in Swift!!!! It is therefore already vastly superior to any and all full web server and application server solutions and defines how servers will be written in the future. Particularly, all the web server solutions written in Objective-C have ceased to exist.
Wonnk13 11y ago
Why is two thirds of the README dedicated to Docker? must everything be a Docker container now?
- r618 11y ago
  note the emoji.. that balances it out
- huydotnet 11y ago
  Basically, you can install Swift directly on your Linux machine, but for Mac users who not using El Capitan or Windows users, they will need Docker
pkaler 11y ago
Aeon is an HTTP server written in Swift that has an API that looks like Sinatra. https://github.com/Zewo/Aeon https://github.com/Zewo/Aeon
EugeneOZ 11y ago
I don't think Swift is a very good choice for the web - we already have much better options. Swift compiler don't care about memory leaks, runtime errors and race conditions. And it's really easy to get runtime error - just unwrap optional value without check. So I think Swift is good for something what can run few minutes and be restarted easily in case of failure - mobile and desktop apps. Not web server daemons.

45 points by huydotnet 11y ago

I think this opens up the possibilities for Swift to be used as a web language, not just a iOS language. I have to say, Swift syntax is very similar to PHP 7. Interesting times for sure. I'll be keeping a close eye on Swift in terms of its adoption as a web language.

EugeneOZ 11y ago
There is full http server: https://github.com/glock45/swifter https://github.com/glock45/swifter
hundchenkatze 11y ago
Here's a full blown application server as well. https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect
pbreit 11y ago
In that sense, would you be comparing Swift to Go, Python/Ruby, JavaScript, PHP? Is Swift "better" than the others?
- cballard 11y ago
  Swift has a passable type system, support for generics, and doesn't use a VM. Tooling support isn't there for Linux currently, so the act of writing code isn't much better than Python (no Xcode-type autocompletion), but once you want to run it, the compiler will scream at you if you pass ducks where penguins are expected - while still allowing you to reason about swimming birds in general.
EugeneOZ 11y ago
Swift has nothing similar to PHP 7. Typing in PHP 7 is ridiculous - you can set "Array" as a "strict" type of return value, but inside that array you can have whole universe. And any optional type system is not a type system at all. I learned it when tried Dart. PHP 7 is too primitive in comparison with Swift.

andoma 11y ago

Oh, this is so cute...

nodesocket 11y ago

Interesting to see if an Express like framework comes about. Does it even make sense to write a backend http RESTful API in Swift? Wonder what the performance is vs node.js and go?

huydotnet 11y ago
Yeah that's what I'm planning to do, I have the previous express-like framework in C++ and now I'm porting it to Swift :D
breckinloggins 11y ago
I made something in the Swift 1.0 days called "swell" that shows how this might look. https://github.com/breckinloggins/Swell https://github.com/breckinloggins/Swell It could be used as an example. In particular, the "builder" syntax that I did with a terrible TLS context hack could be replaced with autoclosures (I think). Edit: more Sinatra-like than Express-like, but the idea still stands.
hundchenkatze 11y ago
Here's one. https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect Since work was started on this before Swift's open sourcing/linux support was added I doubt it compiles on linux just yet. I'm sure it'll be added though.

nodesocket 11y ago

Unrelated, but is this a common practice in Swift? #if os(Linux) import Glibc #else import Darwin.C #endif Feels a bit nasty.

huydotnet 11y ago
Yeah, I grabbed this lines from Apple document https://swift.org/package-manager/#example-usage https://swift.org/package-manager/#example-usage
trymas 11y ago
AFAIK, at least for now it is. Libraries on Linux and OS X just are different. Maybe when core libraries [0] will be fully finished we could just use `import Foundation` on both platforms. [0] https://swift.org/core-libraries/ https://swift.org/core-libraries/
nly 11y ago
Are a bunch of #ifdef's in C any less nasty?
edgyswingset 11y ago
I would imagine it to be a fact of life for library developers.

srameshc 11y ago

How mature is Swift for writing backend applications in its current state when compared to Python or maybe Rust ?

huydotnet 11y ago
It's potential :D

Matthias247 11y ago

Sorry - but sending a bunch of static bytes through a TCP socket without even reading something from the input is not even a basic HTTP implementation.

mpweiher 11y ago
But, but, but...it's in Swift!!!! It is therefore already vastly superior to any and all full web server and application server solutions and defines how servers will be written in the future. Particularly, all the web server solutions written in Objective-C have ceased to exist.

Wonnk13 11y ago

Why is two thirds of the README dedicated to Docker? must everything be a Docker container now?

r618 11y ago
note the emoji.. that balances it out
huydotnet 11y ago
Basically, you can install Swift directly on your Linux machine, but for Mac users who not using El Capitan or Windows users, they will need Docker

pkaler 11y ago

Aeon is an HTTP server written in Swift that has an API that looks like Sinatra. https://github.com/Zewo/Aeon https://github.com/Zewo/Aeon

EugeneOZ 11y ago

I don't think Swift is a very good choice for the web - we already have much better options. Swift compiler don't care about memory leaks, runtime errors and race conditions. And it's really easy to get runtime error - just unwrap optional value without check. So I think Swift is good for something what can run few minutes and be restarted easily in case of failure - mobile and desktop apps. Not web server daemons.