1 | # websocket-extensions [![Build status](https://secure.travis-ci.org/faye/websocket-extensions-node.svg)](http://travis-ci.org/faye/websocket-extensions-node)
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2 |
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3 | A minimal framework that supports the implementation of WebSocket extensions in
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4 | a way that's decoupled from the main protocol. This library aims to allow a
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5 | WebSocket extension to be written and used with any protocol library, by
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6 | defining abstract representations of frames and messages that allow modules to
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7 | co-operate.
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8 |
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9 | `websocket-extensions` provides a container for registering extension plugins,
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10 | and provides all the functions required to negotiate which extensions to use
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11 | during a session via the `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` header. By implementing the
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12 | APIs defined in this document, an extension may be used by any WebSocket library
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13 | based on this framework.
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14 |
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15 | ## Installation
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16 |
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17 | ```
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18 | $ npm install websocket-extensions
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19 | ```
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20 |
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21 | ## Usage
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22 |
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23 | There are two main audiences for this library: authors implementing the
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24 | WebSocket protocol, and authors implementing extensions. End users of a
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25 | WebSocket library or an extension should be able to use any extension by passing
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26 | it as an argument to their chosen protocol library, without needing to know how
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27 | either of them work, or how the `websocket-extensions` framework operates.
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28 |
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29 | The library is designed with the aim that any protocol implementation and any
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30 | extension can be used together, so long as they support the same abstract
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31 | representation of frames and messages.
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32 |
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33 | ### Data types
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34 |
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35 | The APIs provided by the framework rely on two data types; extensions will
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36 | expect to be given data and to be able to return data in these formats:
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37 |
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38 | #### *Frame*
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39 |
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40 | *Frame* is a structure representing a single WebSocket frame of any type. Frames
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41 | are simple objects that must have at least the following properties, which
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42 | represent the data encoded in the frame:
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43 |
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44 | | property | description |
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45 | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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46 | | `final` | `true` if the `FIN` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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47 | | `rsv1` | `true` if the `RSV1` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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48 | | `rsv2` | `true` if the `RSV2` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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49 | | `rsv3` | `true` if the `RSV3` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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50 | | `opcode` | the numeric opcode (`0`, `1`, `2`, `8`, `9`, or `10`) of the frame |
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51 | | `masked` | `true` if the `MASK` bit is set, `false` otherwise |
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52 | | `maskingKey` | a 4-byte `Buffer` if `masked` is `true`, otherwise `null` |
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53 | | `payload` | a `Buffer` containing the (unmasked) application data |
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54 |
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55 | #### *Message*
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56 |
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57 | A *Message* represents a complete application message, which can be formed from
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58 | text, binary and continuation frames. It has the following properties:
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59 |
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60 | | property | description |
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61 | | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
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62 | | `rsv1` | `true` if the first frame of the message has the `RSV1` bit set |
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63 | | `rsv2` | `true` if the first frame of the message has the `RSV2` bit set |
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64 | | `rsv3` | `true` if the first frame of the message has the `RSV3` bit set |
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65 | | `opcode` | the numeric opcode (`1` or `2`) of the first frame of the message |
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66 | | `data` | the concatenation of all the frame payloads in the message |
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67 |
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68 | ### For driver authors
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69 |
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70 | A driver author is someone implementing the WebSocket protocol proper, and who
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71 | wishes end users to be able to use WebSocket extensions with their library.
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72 |
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73 | At the start of a WebSocket session, on both the client and the server side,
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74 | they should begin by creating an extension container and adding whichever
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75 | extensions they want to use.
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76 |
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77 | ```js
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78 | var Extensions = require('websocket-extensions'),
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79 | deflate = require('permessage-deflate');
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80 |
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81 | var exts = new Extensions();
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82 | exts.add(deflate);
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83 | ```
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84 |
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85 | In the following examples, `exts` refers to this `Extensions` instance.
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86 |
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87 | #### Client sessions
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88 |
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89 | Clients will use the methods `generateOffer()` and `activate(header)`.
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90 |
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91 | As part of the handshake process, the client must send a
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92 | `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` header to advertise that it supports the registered
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93 | extensions. This header should be generated using:
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94 |
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95 | ```js
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96 | request.headers['sec-websocket-extensions'] = exts.generateOffer();
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97 | ```
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98 |
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99 | This returns a string, for example `"permessage-deflate;
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100 | client_max_window_bits"`, that represents all the extensions the client is
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101 | offering to use, and their parameters. This string may contain multiple offers
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102 | for the same extension.
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103 |
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104 | When the client receives the handshake response from the server, it should pass
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105 | the incoming `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` header in to `exts` to activate the
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106 | extensions the server has accepted:
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107 |
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108 | ```js
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109 | exts.activate(response.headers['sec-websocket-extensions']);
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110 | ```
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111 |
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112 | If the server has sent any extension responses that the client does not
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113 | recognize, or are in conflict with one another for use of RSV bits, or that use
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114 | invalid parameters for the named extensions, then `exts.activate()` will
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115 | `throw`. In this event, the client driver should fail the connection with
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116 | closing code `1010`.
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117 |
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118 | #### Server sessions
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119 |
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120 | Servers will use the method `generateResponse(header)`.
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121 |
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122 | A server session needs to generate a `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` header to send
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123 | in its handshake response:
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124 |
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125 | ```js
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126 | var clientOffer = request.headers['sec-websocket-extensions'],
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127 | extResponse = exts.generateResponse(clientOffer);
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128 |
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129 | response.headers['sec-websocket-extensions'] = extResponse;
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130 | ```
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131 |
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132 | Calling `exts.generateResponse(header)` activates those extensions the client
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133 | has asked to use, if they are registered, asks each extension for a set of
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134 | response parameters, and returns a string containing the response parameters for
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135 | all accepted extensions.
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136 |
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137 | #### In both directions
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138 |
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139 | Both clients and servers will use the methods `validFrameRsv(frame)`,
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140 | `processIncomingMessage(message)` and `processOutgoingMessage(message)`.
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141 |
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142 | The WebSocket protocol requires that frames do not have any of the `RSV` bits
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143 | set unless there is an extension in use that allows otherwise. When processing
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144 | an incoming frame, sessions should pass a *Frame* object to:
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145 |
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146 | ```js
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147 | exts.validFrameRsv(frame)
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148 | ```
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149 |
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150 | If this method returns `false`, the session should fail the WebSocket connection
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151 | with closing code `1002`.
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152 |
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153 | To pass incoming messages through the extension stack, a session should
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154 | construct a *Message* object according to the above datatype definitions, and
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155 | call:
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156 |
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157 | ```js
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158 | exts.processIncomingMessage(message, function(error, msg) {
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159 | // hand the message off to the application
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160 | });
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161 | ```
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162 |
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163 | If any extensions fail to process the message, then the callback will yield an
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164 | error and the session should fail the WebSocket connection with closing code
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165 | `1010`. If `error` is `null`, then `msg` should be passed on to the application.
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166 |
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167 | To pass outgoing messages through the extension stack, a session should
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168 | construct a *Message* as before, and call:
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169 |
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170 | ```js
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171 | exts.processOutgoingMessage(message, function(error, msg) {
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172 | // write message to the transport
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173 | });
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174 | ```
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175 |
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176 | If any extensions fail to process the message, then the callback will yield an
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177 | error and the session should fail the WebSocket connection with closing code
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178 | `1010`. If `error` is `null`, then `message` should be converted into frames
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179 | (with the message's `rsv1`, `rsv2`, `rsv3` and `opcode` set on the first frame)
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180 | and written to the transport.
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181 |
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182 | At the end of the WebSocket session (either when the protocol is explicitly
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183 | ended or the transport connection disconnects), the driver should call:
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184 |
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185 | ```js
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186 | exts.close(function() {})
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187 | ```
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188 |
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189 | The callback is invoked when all extensions have finished processing any
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190 | messages in the pipeline and it's safe to close the socket.
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191 |
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192 | ### For extension authors
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193 |
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194 | An extension author is someone implementing an extension that transforms
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195 | WebSocket messages passing between the client and server. They would like to
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196 | implement their extension once and have it work with any protocol library.
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197 |
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198 | Extension authors will not install `websocket-extensions` or call it directly.
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199 | Instead, they should implement the following API to allow their extension to
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200 | plug into the `websocket-extensions` framework.
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201 |
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202 | An `Extension` is any object that has the following properties:
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203 |
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204 | | property | description |
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205 | | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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206 | | `name` | a string containing the name of the extension as used in negotiation headers |
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207 | | `type` | a string, must be `"permessage"` |
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208 | | `rsv1` | either `true` if the extension uses the RSV1 bit, `false` otherwise |
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209 | | `rsv2` | either `true` if the extension uses the RSV2 bit, `false` otherwise |
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210 | | `rsv3` | either `true` if the extension uses the RSV3 bit, `false` otherwise |
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211 |
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212 | It must also implement the following methods:
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213 |
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214 | ```js
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215 | ext.createClientSession()
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216 | ```
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217 |
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218 | This returns a *ClientSession*, whose interface is defined below.
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219 |
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220 | ```js
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221 | ext.createServerSession(offers)
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222 | ```
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223 |
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224 | This takes an array of offer params and returns a *ServerSession*, whose
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225 | interface is defined below. For example, if the client handshake contains the
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226 | offer header:
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227 |
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228 | ```
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229 | Sec-WebSocket-Extensions: permessage-deflate; server_no_context_takeover; server_max_window_bits=8, \
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230 | permessage-deflate; server_max_window_bits=15
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231 | ```
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232 |
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233 | then the `permessage-deflate` extension will receive the call:
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234 |
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235 | ```js
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236 | ext.createServerSession([
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237 | { server_no_context_takeover: true, server_max_window_bits: 8 },
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238 | { server_max_window_bits: 15 }
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239 | ]);
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240 | ```
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241 |
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242 | The extension must decide which set of parameters it wants to accept, if any,
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243 | and return a *ServerSession* if it wants to accept the parameters and `null`
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244 | otherwise.
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245 |
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246 | #### *ClientSession*
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247 |
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248 | A *ClientSession* is the type returned by `ext.createClientSession()`. It must
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249 | implement the following methods, as well as the *Session* API listed below.
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250 |
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251 | ```js
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252 | clientSession.generateOffer()
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253 | // e.g. -> [
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254 | // { server_no_context_takeover: true, server_max_window_bits: 8 },
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255 | // { server_max_window_bits: 15 }
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256 | // ]
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257 | ```
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258 |
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259 | This must return a set of parameters to include in the client's
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260 | `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` offer header. If the session wants to offer multiple
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261 | configurations, it can return an array of sets of parameters as shown above.
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262 |
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263 | ```js
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264 | clientSession.activate(params) // -> true
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265 | ```
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266 |
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267 | This must take a single set of parameters from the server's handshake response
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268 | and use them to configure the client session. If the client accepts the given
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269 | parameters, then this method must return `true`. If it returns any other value,
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270 | the framework will interpret this as the client rejecting the response, and will
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271 | `throw`.
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272 |
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273 | #### *ServerSession*
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274 |
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275 | A *ServerSession* is the type returned by `ext.createServerSession(offers)`. It
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276 | must implement the following methods, as well as the *Session* API listed below.
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277 |
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278 | ```js
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279 | serverSession.generateResponse()
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280 | // e.g. -> { server_max_window_bits: 8 }
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281 | ```
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282 |
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283 | This returns the set of parameters the server session wants to send in its
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284 | `Sec-WebSocket-Extensions` response header. Only one set of parameters is
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285 | returned to the client per extension. Server sessions that would confict on
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286 | their use of RSV bits are not activated.
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287 |
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288 | #### *Session*
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289 |
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290 | The *Session* API must be implemented by both client and server sessions. It
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291 | contains two methods, `processIncomingMessage(message)` and
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292 | `processOutgoingMessage(message)`.
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293 |
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294 | ```js
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295 | session.processIncomingMessage(message, function(error, msg) { ... })
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296 | ```
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297 |
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298 | The session must implement this method to take an incoming *Message* as defined
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299 | above, transform it in any way it needs, then return it via the callback. If
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300 | there is an error processing the message, this method should yield an error as
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301 | the first argument.
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302 |
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303 | ```js
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304 | session.processOutgoingMessage(message, function(error, msg) { ... })
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305 | ```
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306 |
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307 | The session must implement this method to take an outgoing *Message* as defined
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308 | above, transform it in any way it needs, then return it via the callback. If
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309 | there is an error processing the message, this method should yield an error as
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310 | the first argument.
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311 |
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312 | Note that both `processIncomingMessage()` and `processOutgoingMessage()` can
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313 | perform their logic asynchronously, are allowed to process multiple messages
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314 | concurrently, and are not required to complete working on messages in the same
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315 | order the messages arrive. `websocket-extensions` will reorder messages as your
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316 | extension emits them and will make sure every extension is given messages in the
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317 | order they arrive from the driver. This allows extensions to maintain state that
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318 | depends on the messages' wire order, for example keeping a DEFLATE compression
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319 | context between messages.
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320 |
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321 | ```js
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322 | session.close()
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323 | ```
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324 |
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325 | The framework will call this method when the WebSocket session ends, allowing
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326 | the session to release any resources it's using.
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327 |
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328 | ## Examples
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329 |
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330 | - Consumer: [websocket-driver](https://github.com/faye/websocket-driver-node)
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331 | - Provider: [permessage-deflate](https://github.com/faye/permessage-deflate-node)
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