boost_beast/doc/qbk/01_intro.qbk

[/
    Copyright (c) 2016-2017 Vinnie Falco (vinnie dot falco at gmail dot com)

    Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
    file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)

    Official repository: https://github.com/boostorg/beast
]

[section Introduction]
[block'''<?dbhtml stop-chunking?>''']

Beast is a C++ header-only library serving as a foundation for writing
interoperable networking libraries by providing [*low-level HTTP/1,
WebSocket, and networking protocol] vocabulary types and algorithms
using the consistent asynchronous model of __Asio__.

This library is designed for:

* [*Symmetry:] Algorithms are role-agnostic; build clients, servers, or both.

* [*Ease of Use:] __Asio__ users will immediately understand Beast.

* [*Flexibility:] Users make the important decisions such as buffer or
  thread management.

* [*Performance:] Build applications handling thousands of connections or more.

* [*Basis for Further Abstraction.] Components are well-suited for building upon.

This library is not a client or server, but it can be used to build those
things. Many examples are provided, including clients and servers, which may
be used as a starting point for writing your own program.

[heading Motivation]

Beast empowers users to create their own libraries, clients, and servers
using HTTP/1 and WebSocket. Code will be easier and faster to implement,
understand, and maintain, because Beast takes care of the low-level
protocol details.
The HTTP and WebSocket protocols drive most of the World Wide Web.
Every web browser implements these protocols to load webpages and
to enable client side programs (often written in JavaScript) to
communicate interactively. C++ benefits greatly from having a
standardized implementation of these protocols.



[section Requirements]

[important
    This library is for programmers familiar with __Asio__. Users who
    wish to use asynchronous interfaces should already know how to
    create concurrent network programs using callbacks or coroutines.
]

Beast requires:

* [*C++11:] Robust support for most language features.
* [*Boost:] Beast only works with Boost, not stand-alone Asio
* [*OpenSSL:] Optional, for using TLS/Secure sockets.

Supported compilers: msvc-14+, gcc 4.8+, clang 3.6+

Sources are [*header-only].
To link a program using Beast successfully, add the
[@boost:/libs/system/index.html Boost.System]
library to your build scripts. If you use coroutines you'll also need the
[@boost:/libs/coroutine/index.html Boost.Coroutine]
library. Please visit the
[@boost:/more/getting_started.html Boost documentation]
for instructions on how to do this for your particular build system.

[endsect]



[section Reporting Bugs]

To report bugs or get help using Beast, GitHub issues are preferred.
Please visit
[@https://github.com/boostorg/beast/issues https://github.com/boostorg/beast/issues]
to ask a question, report a defect, or request a feature. If you
prefer to keep your issue or question confidential please email the author at
[@mailto:vinnie.falco%40gmail.com vinnie.falco@gmail.com].

[endsect]



[heading Credits]

Boost.Asio is the inspiration behind which all of the interfaces and
implementation strategies are built. Some parts of the documentation are
written to closely resemble the wording and presentation of Boost.Asio
documentation. Credit goes to
[@https://github.com/chriskohlhoff Christopher Kohlhoff]
for his wonderful Asio library and the ideas in
[@http://cplusplus.github.io/networking-ts/draft.pdf [*C++ Extensions for Networking]]
which power Beast.

Beast would not be possible without the support of
[@https://www.ripple.com Ripple]
during the library's early development, or the ideas, time and patience
contributed by
[@https://github.com/JoelKatz David Schwartz],
[@https://github.com/ximinez Edward Hennis],
[@https://github.com/howardhinnant Howard Hinnant],
[@https://github.com/miguelportilla Miguel Portilla],
[@https://github.com/nbougalis Nik Bougalis],
[@https://github.com/seelabs Scott Determan] and
[@https://github.com/scottschurr Scott Schurr].
Many thanks to
[@https://github.com/K-ballo Agustín Bergé],
[@http://www.boost.org/users/people/glen_fernandes.html Glen Fernandes],
and
[@https://github.com/pdimov Peter Dimov]
for tirelessly answering questions on
[@https://cpplang.slack.com/ Cpplang-Slack].

Thanks to
[@https://github.com/djarek Damian Jarek]
for his generous participation and source code contributions.

[endsect]



[section Reports]
[block'''<?dbhtml stop-chunking?>''']

[section Security Review (Bishop Fox)]

Since 2005, [@https://www.bishopfox.com/ Bishop Fox] has provided
security consulting services to the Fortune 1000, high-tech startups,
and financial institutions worldwide.
Beast engaged Bishop Fox to assess the security of the Boost C++ Beast HTTP/S
networking library. The following report details the findings identified during
the course of the engagement, which started on September 11, 2017.

The assessment team conducted a hybrid application assessment of the Beast
library. Bishop Fox’s hybrid application assessment methodology leverages
the real-world attack techniques of application penetration testing in
combination with targeted source code review to thoroughly identify
application security vulnerabilities. These fullknowledge assessments
begin with automated scans of the deployed application and source code.
Next, analyses of the scan results are combined with manual review to
thoroughly identify potential application security vulnerabilities. In
addition, the team performs a review of the application architecture and
business logic to locate any design-level issues. Finally, the team performs
manual exploitation and review of these issues to validate the findings.

[@https://vinniefalco.github.io/BeastAssets/Beast%20-%20Hybrid%20Application%20Assessment%202017%20-%20Assessment%20Report%20-%2020171114.pdf [*Beast - Hybrid Application Assessment 2017]]

[block'''
<mediaobject>
  <videoobject>
    <videodata fileref="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4TtyYbGDAj0?rel=0"
        align="center" contentwidth="560" contentdepth="315"/>
  </videoobject>
</mediaobject>
''']

[endsect]

[section WebSocket (Autobahn|Testsuite)]

The
[@https://github.com/crossbario/autobahn-testsuite Autobahn WebSockets Testsuite]
provides a fully automated test suite to
verify client and server implementations of The WebSocket Protocol
for specification conformance and implementation robustness.
The test suite will check an implementation by doing basic
WebSocket conversations, extensive protocol compliance
verification and performance and limits testing.
Autobahn|Testsuite is used across the industry and
contains over 500 test cases.

[@https://vinniefalco.github.io/BeastAssets/reports/autobahn/index.html [*Autobahn|Testsuite WebSocket Results]]

[warning
    Version 0.7.6 of Autobahn|Testsuite contains a
    [@https://github.com/crossbario/autobahn-testsuite/issues/77 known defect]
    which causes false positive failures in Beast for the following test cases:
    { 12.4.5, 12.4.6, 12.4.8, 12.4.9, 12.4.10, 12.4.11, 12.4.13,
      12.4.14, 12.4.15, 12.4.16, 12.4.17, 12.4.18 }
    When this issue is resolved in the test suite, the reports will be updated.
]

[endsect]

[endsect]