How to Parse URLs in Cross-Platform C Applications?

Parsing URLs Cross-Platform in C

In cross-platform C applications, the need to parse URLs for information such as protocol, host, path, and query often arises. Despite the prevalence of this task, it can be surprisingly challenging to find a comprehensive solution in commonly used libraries like Boost or POCO.

After searching high and low, it was discovered that the Boost inclusion pipeline includes a library specifically designed for parsing HTTP URIs. cpp-netlib, available under the Boost Software License, employs Boost.Spirit and provides a straightforward mechanism for parsing URL components.

To utilize this library, simply include the following namespace:

<code class="cpp">using namespace boost::network::http;</code>

The primary type for URL parsing is uri, which offers a range of convenient member functions for accessing specific components. For example:

<code class="cpp">uri u("http://www.example.com/path/to/resource?key=value");
std::string protocol = u.scheme();
std::string host = u.host();
std::string path = u.path();
std::string query = u.query();</code>

With these methods, developers can easily decompose URLs, making this common task a breeze in C applications across multiple platforms.

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