HTTP Server Object. This implements a multi-threaded, background server that runs concurrently with the game program. The server listens for and accepts incoming connection requests from clients, and then handles HTTP protocol transactions with connected clients. Client requests are routed to the byte code program via network events, which the program can retrieve via the getNetEvent() function.

Construction: to set up an HTTP server, simply create an HTTPServer object with 'new':

local srv = new HTTPServer(hostname, portnum?, maxUploadSize?);

'hostname' is a string giving the domain name or IP address that the server will bind to for accepting connections. For a server that accepts connections from separate client machines, this is simply the external IP address of the local machine. (This is specified as an argument because some machines have more than one network interface, and thus have more than one IP address or domain name.)

'portnum' is the TCP/IP port number wehre the server will listen for incoming connections. If this is omitted or nil, the operating system will automatically select an available port number and assign it to the server. Using a specific port number allows you to create a service on a "well known" port, which makes it easier for clients to find the service; but a given port can only be used by one server at a time, so using a pre-selected port number runs the risk that some other process will already be using the same port.

'maxUploadSize' is the maximum size in bytes for any single request's content. Content sizes over this limit will be rejected. Some HTTP requests, such as POST, can include uploaded content from the client, and the HTTP protocol itself supports essentially unlimited sizes for these objects. Uploads consume resources on the server, though, so it's often desirable to set a size limit to prevent errant or malicious clients from overwhelming the server with a very large upload. Depending on the specific function of your server, you might or might not wish to set a limit. If you omit this argument or set it to nil, unlimited upload sizes will be allowed. Note that this limit applies to each individual upload separately; it's not a lifetime limit for the server or for any session.

Creating an HTTPServer object with 'new' automatically starts the server. The object will create a background thread that will listen for incoming connections on the given network address and port number, so the server is active as soon as the 'new' finishes. You can create any number of servers, as long as they have different port numbers. When a connection request is received, the server will accept the connection and automatically create another background thread to handle requests on that connection. Each incoming request will be forwarded to the game program to handle, via the network message queue.

intrinsic class HTTPServer :   Object