Re: Data Compression

[Scott Klement <sk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It depends on what you mean by "compressed data".   If you expect 
compression to be part of the HTTP protocol, then no, HTTPAPI doesn't do 
compression.  Compression is negotiated between the client (HTTPAPI in 
this case) and the server.  HTTPAPI will negotiate a "no compression" 
connection.

However, if I take what you said completely literally, then it's not a 
compressed HTTP protocol, it's compressed data.  You said the 
compression is being done BEFORE it's sent via HTTP.  In that case, it's 
not HTTPAPI's place to decompress it.  The compressed data will come 
through (bytes are bytes, after all) and you'll get compressed data 
returned to you on the output end.  you'll then have to run a separate 
program (gunzip, bunzip2, unzip, etc) to decompress it, and then can 
work with it as normally... in this situation , the compression has 
little to do with HTTPAPI.

So, HTTPAPI will work in both cases.  In the case of HTTP compression, 
HTTPAPI negotiates no compression and works fine.   In the case where 
the data is compressed ahead of time, HTTPAPI will return the compressed 
data to your program, and you can decompress it before using it.



Karl Woods wrote:
> I was just asked a question by our Web Services guys: Can HTTPAPI handle
> compressed data. Meaning that I send a request that the returned data be
> compressed before sending it and then HTTPAPI decompresses the received
> data.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the FTPAPI mailing list.  To unsubscribe, please go to:
http://www.scottklement.com/mailman/listinfo/ftpapi
-----------------------------------------------------------------------