How Can I Stream HTTP Responses in Go?

Streaming HTTP Responses in Go

In Go, by default, HTTP responses are buffered and sent to the client all at once, once the request is fully processed. This can be problematic when you want to stream data to the client as it becomes available, such as when generating large files or streaming real-time data.

To mitigate this, you can manually flush the response stream after each write using the Flusher interface. First, check if the ResponseWriter implements the Flusher interface using f, ok := res.(http.Flusher). If it does, call f.Flush() to force the data to be sent to the client immediately.

However, this method only works for data written directly to the ResponseWriter. If you are piping data from another source, such as a command's output, you may need to do additional work to ensure the data is streamed properly.

One approach is to create a goroutine that reads from the data source and writes it to the ResponseWriter, flushing the data after each write. This allows you to stream the data without having to manually manage the buffering yourself.

Another option is to use a hijacker to take over the underlying TCP connection of the HTTP request. This gives you direct access to the network stream and allows you to send data without any buffering.

Ultimately, the best approach depends on the specific requirements of your application. However, by understanding the buffering behavior of HTTP responses and using the available tools, you can ensure that your streaming data is delivered to the client in a timely manner.

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