rpc

Documentation

Overview

Package rpc provides access to the exported methods of an object across a network or other I/O connection. After creating a server instance objects can be registered, making it visible from the outside. Exported methods that follow specific conventions can be called remotely. It also has support for the publish/subscribe pattern.

Methods that satisfy the following criteria are made available for remote access:

• object must be exported
• method must be exported
• method returns 0, 1 (response or error) or 2 (response and error) values
• method argument(s) must be exported or builtin types
• method returned value(s) must be exported or builtin types

An example method:

func (s *CalcService) Add(a, b int) (int, error)

When the returned error isn't nil the returned integer is ignored and the error is send back to the client. Otherwise the returned integer is send back to the client.

Optional arguments are supported by accepting pointer values as arguments. E.g. if we want to do the addition in an optional finite field we can accept a mod argument as pointer value.

func (s *CalService) Add(a, b int, mod *int) (int, error)

This RPC method can be called with 2 integers and a null value as third argument. In that case the mod argument will be nil. Or it can be called with 3 integers, in that case mod will be pointing to the given third argument. Since the optional argument is the last argument the RPC package will also accept 2 integers as arguments. It will pass the mod argument as nil to the RPC method.

The server offers the ServeCodec method which accepts a ServerCodec instance. It will read requests from the codec, process the request and sends the response back to the client using the codec. The server can execute requests concurrently. Responses can be send back to the client out of order.

An example server which uses the JSON codec:

 type CalculatorService struct {}

 func (s *CalculatorService) Add(a, b int) int {
	return a + b
 }

 func (s *CalculatorService Div(a, b int) (int, error) {
	if b == 0 {
		return 0, errors.New("divide by zero")
	}
	return a/b, nil
 }

 calculator := new(CalculatorService)
 server := NewServer()
 server.RegisterName("calculator", calculator")

 l, _ := net.ListenUnix("unix", &net.UnixAddr{Net: "unix", Name: "/tmp/calculator.sock"})
 for {
	c, _ := l.AcceptUnix()
	codec := v2.NewJSONCodec(c)
	go server.ServeCodec(codec)
 }

The package also supports the publish subscribe pattern through the use of subscriptions. A method that is considered eligible for notifications must satisfy the following criteria:

• object must be exported
• method must be exported
• first method argument type must be context.Context
• method argument(s) must be exported or builtin types
• method must return the tuple Subscription, error

An example method:

func (s *BlockChainService) NewBlocks(ctx context.Context) (Subscription, error) {
	...
}

Subscriptions are deleted when:

• the user sends an unsubscribe request
• the connection which was used to create the subscription is closed. This can be initiated by the client and server. The server will close the connection on an write error or when the queue of buffered notifications gets too big.

Index

• Constants
• Variables
• func CreateIPCListener(endpoint string) (net.Listener, error)
• func NewHTTPServer(corsString string, srv *Server) *http.Server
• func NewWSServer(allowedOrigins string, handler *Server) *http.Server
• func SupportedModules(client Client) (map[string]string, error)
• type API
• type BlockNumber
  • func (bn *BlockNumber) Int64() int64
  • func (bn *BlockNumber) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error
• type Client
  • func NewClient(uri string) (Client, error)
  • func NewInProcRPCClient(handler *Server) Client
• type CodecOption
• type HexNumber
  • func NewHexNumber(val interface{}) *HexNumber
  • func (h *HexNumber) BigInt() *big.Int
  • func (h *HexNumber) Int() int
  • func (h *HexNumber) Int64() int64
  • func (h *HexNumber) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error)
  • func (h *HexNumber) Uint() uint
  • func (h *HexNumber) Uint64() uint64
  • func (h *HexNumber) UnmarshalJSON(input []byte) error
• type JSONError
• type JSONRequest
• type JSONResponse
• type Notifier
  • func NotifierFromContext(ctx context.Context) (Notifier, bool)
• type RPCError
• type RPCService
  • func (s *RPCService) Modules() map[string]string
• type Server
  • func NewServer() *Server
  • func (s *Server) RegisterName(name string, rcvr interface{}) error
  • func (s *Server) ServeCodec(codec ServerCodec, options CodecOption)
  • func (s *Server) ServeSingleRequest(codec ServerCodec, options CodecOption)
  • func (s *Server) Stop()
• type ServerCodec
  • func NewJSONCodec(rwc io.ReadWriteCloser) ServerCodec
• type Subscription
• type UnsubscribeCallback

Constants

const (
	MetadataApi     = "rpc"
	DefaultIPCApis  = "admin,debug,eth,miner,net,personal,shh,txpool,web3"
	DefaultHTTPApis = "eth,net,web3"
)

const (
	PendingBlockNumber = BlockNumber(-2)
	LatestBlockNumber  = BlockNumber(-1)
)

const (
	JSONRPCVersion = "2.0"
)

Variables

var (
	// ErrNotificationsUnsupported is returned when the connection doesn't support notifications
	ErrNotificationsUnsupported = errors.New("notifications not supported")

	// ErrNotificationNotFound is returned when the notification for the given id is not found
	ErrNotificationNotFound = errors.New("notification not found")
)

Functions

func CreateIPCListener

func CreateIPCListener(endpoint string) (net.Listener, error)

CreateIPCListener creates an listener, on Unix platforms this is a unix socket, on Windows this is a named pipe

func NewHTTPServer

func NewHTTPServer(corsString string, srv *Server) *http.Server

NewHTTPServer creates a new HTTP RPC server around an API provider.

func NewWSServer

func NewWSServer(allowedOrigins string, handler *Server) *http.Server

NewWSServer creates a new websocket RPC server around an API provider.

func SupportedModules

func SupportedModules(client Client) (map[string]string, error)

SupportedModules returns the collection of API's that the RPC server offers on which the given client connects.

Types

type API

type API struct {
	Namespace string      // namespace under which the rpc methods of Service are exposed
	Version   string      // api version for DApp's
	Service   interface{} // receiver instance which holds the methods
	Public    bool        // indication if the methods must be considered safe for public use
}

API describes the set of methods offered over the RPC interface

type BlockNumber

type BlockNumber int64

func (*BlockNumber) Int64

func (bn *BlockNumber) Int64() int64

func (*BlockNumber) UnmarshalJSON

func (bn *BlockNumber) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error

UnmarshalJSON parses the given JSON fragement into a BlockNumber. It supports: - "latest", "earliest" or "pending" as string arguments - the block number Returned errors: - an invalid block number error when the given argument isn't a known strings - an out of range error when the given block number is either too little or too large

type Client

type Client interface {
	// SupportedModules returns the collection of API's the server offers
	SupportedModules() (map[string]string, error)

	Send(req interface{}) error
	Recv(msg interface{}) error

	Close()
}

Client defines the interface for go client that wants to connect to a geth RPC endpoint

func NewClient

func NewClient(uri string) (Client, error)

func NewInProcRPCClient

func NewInProcRPCClient(handler *Server) Client

NewInProcRPCClient creates an in-process buffer stream attachment to a given RPC server.

type CodecOption

type CodecOption int

CodecOption specifies which type of messages this codec supports

const (
	// OptionMethodInvocation is an indication that the codec supports RPC method calls
	OptionMethodInvocation CodecOption = 1 << iota

	// OptionSubscriptions is an indication that the codec suports RPC notifications
	OptionSubscriptions = 1 << iota // support pub sub
)

type HexNumber

type HexNumber big.Int

HexNumber serializes a number to hex format using the "%#x" format

func NewHexNumber

func NewHexNumber(val interface{}) *HexNumber

NewHexNumber creates a new hex number instance which will serialize the given val with `%#x` on marshal.

func (*HexNumber) BigInt

func (h *HexNumber) BigInt() *big.Int

func (*HexNumber) Int

func (h *HexNumber) Int() int

func (*HexNumber) Int64

func (h *HexNumber) Int64() int64

func (*HexNumber) MarshalJSON

func (h *HexNumber) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error)

MarshalJSON serialize the hex number instance to a hex representation.

func (*HexNumber) Uint

func (h *HexNumber) Uint() uint

func (*HexNumber) Uint64

func (h *HexNumber) Uint64() uint64

func (*HexNumber) UnmarshalJSON

func (h *HexNumber) UnmarshalJSON(input []byte) error

type JSONError

type JSONError struct {
	Code    int         `json:"code"`
	Message string      `json:"message"`
	Data    interface{} `json:"data,omitempty"`
}

JSON-RPC error object

type JSONRequest

type JSONRequest struct {
	Method  string          `json:"method"`
	Version string          `json:"jsonrpc"`
	Id      json.RawMessage `json:"id,omitempty"`
	Payload json.RawMessage `json:"params,omitempty"`
}

JSON-RPC request

type JSONResponse

type JSONResponse struct {
	Version string      `json:"jsonrpc"`
	Id      interface{} `json:"id,omitempty"`
	Result  interface{} `json:"result,omitempty"`
	Error   *JSONError  `json:"error,omitempty"`
}

JSON-RPC response

type Notifier

type Notifier interface {
	// Create a new subscription. The given callback is called when this subscription
	// is cancelled (e.g. client send an unsubscribe, connection closed).
	NewSubscription(UnsubscribeCallback) (Subscription, error)
	// Cancel subscription
	Unsubscribe(id string) error
}

A Notifier type describes the interface for objects that can send create subscriptions

func NotifierFromContext

func NotifierFromContext(ctx context.Context) (Notifier, bool)

NotifierFromContext returns the Notifier value stored in ctx, if any.

type RPCError

type RPCError interface {
	// RPC error code
	Code() int
	// Error message
	Error() string
}

RPCError implements RPC error, is add support for error codec over regular go errors

type RPCService

type RPCService struct {
	// contains filtered or unexported fields
}

RPCService gives meta information about the server. e.g. gives information about the loaded modules.

func (*RPCService) Modules

func (s *RPCService) Modules() map[string]string

Modules returns the list of RPC services with their version number

type Server

type Server struct {
	// contains filtered or unexported fields
}

Server represents a RPC server

func NewServer

func NewServer() *Server

NewServer will create a new server instance with no registered handlers.

func (*Server) RegisterName

func (s *Server) RegisterName(name string, rcvr interface{}) error

RegisterName will create an service for the given rcvr type under the given name. When no methods on the given rcvr match the criteria to be either a RPC method or a subscription an error is returned. Otherwise a new service is created and added to the service collection this server instance serves.

func (*Server) ServeCodec

func (s *Server) ServeCodec(codec ServerCodec, options CodecOption)

ServeCodec reads incoming requests from codec, calls the appropriate callback and writes the response back using the given codec. It will block until the codec is closed or the server is stopped. In either case the codec is closed.

func (*Server) ServeSingleRequest

func (s *Server) ServeSingleRequest(codec ServerCodec, options CodecOption)

ServeSingleRequest reads and processes a single RPC request from the given codec. It will not close the codec unless a non-recoverable error has occurred. Note, this method will return after a single request has been processed!

func (*Server) Stop

func (s *Server) Stop()

Stop will stop reading new requests, wait for stopPendingRequestTimeout to allow pending requests to finish, close all codecs which will cancels pending requests/subscriptions.

type ServerCodec

type ServerCodec interface {
	// Read next request
	ReadRequestHeaders() ([]rpcRequest, bool, RPCError)
	// Parse request argument to the given types
	ParseRequestArguments([]reflect.Type, interface{}) ([]reflect.Value, RPCError)
	// Assemble success response, expects response id and payload
	CreateResponse(interface{}, interface{}) interface{}
	// Assemble error response, expects response id and error
	CreateErrorResponse(interface{}, RPCError) interface{}
	// Assemble error response with extra information about the error through info
	CreateErrorResponseWithInfo(id interface{}, err RPCError, info interface{}) interface{}
	// Create notification response
	CreateNotification(string, interface{}) interface{}
	// Write msg to client.
	Write(interface{}) error
	// Close underlying data stream
	Close()
	// Closed when underlying connection is closed
	Closed() <-chan interface{}
}

ServerCodec implements reading, parsing and writing RPC messages for the server side of a RPC session. Implementations must be go-routine safe since the codec can be called in multiple go-routines concurrently.

func NewJSONCodec

func NewJSONCodec(rwc io.ReadWriteCloser) ServerCodec

NewJSONCodec creates a new RPC server codec with support for JSON-RPC 2.0

type Subscription

type Subscription interface {
	// Inform client of an event
	Notify(data interface{}) error
	// Unique identifier
	ID() string
	// Cancel subscription
	Cancel() error
}

Subscription defines the interface for objects that can notify subscribers

type UnsubscribeCallback

type UnsubscribeCallback func(id string)

UnsubscribeCallback defines a callback that is called when a subcription ends. It receives the subscription id as argument.