HTTP Server
Supported pipeline types:
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The HTTP Server origin can read requests containing messages with no compression or with the Gzip or Snappy compression format.
The HTTP Server origin can use multiple threads to enable parallel processing of data from multiple HTTP clients. The origin can require that requests specify an allowed application ID. Before you run a pipeline with the origin, perform additional steps to configure the HTTP clients.
When a pipeline stops, the HTTP Server origin notes where it stops reading. When the pipeline starts again, the origin continues processing from where it stopped by default. You can reset the origin to process all requested data.
When you configure the HTTP Server origin, you specify the maximum number of concurrent requests to determine how many threads to use. You define the listening port, allowed application IDs, and the maximum message size. You can also configure SSL/TLS properties, including default transport protocols and cipher suites.
The origin provides request header fields as record header attributes so you can use the information in the pipeline when needed.
Prerequisites
Before you run a pipeline with the HTTP Server origin, complete the following prerequisites to configure the HTTP clients.
Send Data to the Listening Port
Configure the HTTP clients to send data to the HTTP Server listening port.
When you configure the origin, you define a listening port number where the origin listens for data. To pass data to the pipeline, configure each HTTP client to send data to a URL that includes the listening port number.
<http | https>://<sdc_hostname>:<listening_port>/
- <http | https> - Use https for secure HTTP connections.
- <sdc_hostname> - The Data Collector host name.
- <listening_port> - The port number where the origin listens for data.
For example: https://localhost:8000/
Include the Application ID in Requests
For origins configured to require requests from allowed application IDs, configure the HTTP clients to include an allowed application ID in each request.
When you configure the HTTP Server origin, you can optionally define a list of application IDs allowed to pass requests to the origin. If you specify a list of application IDs, then all messages sent to the origin must include one of the specified application IDs.
Client requests can include the application ID in one of the following ways:
- In request headers
- Add the following information to the request header for all HTTP requests that
you want the origin to
process:
X-SDC-APPLICATION-ID: <application_ID>
- In a query parameter in the URL
- If you cannot configure the client request headers - for example if the requests are generated by another system - then configure each HTTP client to send data to a URL that includes the application ID in a query parameter.
Multithreaded Processing
The HTTP Server origin can use multiple threads to perform parallel processing based on the Max Concurrent Requests property.
Not valid in Data Collector Edge pipelines. In Data Collector Edge pipelines, the HTTP Server origin uses only one thread to process data. The Max Concurrent Requests property is ignored.
When you start a multithreaded pipeline, the origin creates the number of threads specified in the Max Concurrent Requests property. Each thread generates a batch from an incoming request and passes the batch to an available pipeline runner.
A pipeline runner is a sourceless pipeline instance - an instance of the pipeline that includes all of the processors, executors, and destinations in the pipeline and handles all pipeline processing after the origin. Each pipeline runner processes one batch at a time, just like a pipeline that runs on a single thread. When the flow of data slows, the pipeline runners wait idly until they are needed, generating an empty batch at regular intervals. You can configure the Runner Idle Time pipeline property to specify the interval or to opt out of empty batch generation.
Multithreaded pipelines preserve the order of records within each batch, just like a single-threaded pipeline. But since batches are processed by different pipeline runners, the order that batches are written to destinations is not ensured.
For example, say you set the Max Concurrent Requests property to 5. When you start the pipeline, the origin creates five threads, and Data Collector creates a matching number of pipeline runners. Upon receiving data, the origin passes a batch to each of the pipeline runners for processing. In the batch, HTTP Server includes only the HTTP POST and PUT requests with the specified Application ID.
Each pipeline runner performs the processing associated with the rest of the pipeline. After a batch is written to pipeline destinations, the pipeline runner becomes available for another batch of data. Each batch is processed and written as quickly as possible, independent from other batches processed by other pipeline runners, so batches may be written differently from the read order.
At any given moment, the five pipeline runners can each process a batch, so this multithreaded pipeline processes up to five batches at a time. When incoming data slows, the pipeline runners sit idle, available for use as soon as the data flow increases.
For more information about multithreaded pipelines, see Multithreaded Pipeline Overview.
Data Formats
The HTTP Server origin processes data differently based on the data format that you select.
In Data Collector Edge pipelines, the origin supports only the Binary, Delimited, JSON, and SDC Record data formats.
The HTTP Server origin processes data formats as follows:
- Avro
- Generates a record for every Avro record. The origin includes the Avro schema in the
avroSchema
record header attribute. It also includes aprecision
andscale
field attribute for each Decimal field. - Binary
- Generates a record with a single byte array field at the root of the record.
- Datagram
- Generates a record for every message. The origin can process collectd messages, NetFlow 5 and NetFlow 9 messages, and the following types of syslog messages:
- Delimited
- Generates a record for each delimited line.
- JSON
- Generates a record for each JSON object. You can process JSON files that include multiple JSON objects or a single JSON array.
- Protobuf
- Generates a record for every protobuf message. By default, the origin assumes messages contain multiple protobuf messages.
- SDC Record
- Generates a record for every record. Use to process records generated by a Data Collector pipeline using the SDC Record data format.
- XML
- Generates records based on a user-defined delimiter element. Use an XML element directly under the root element or define a simplified XPath expression. If you do not define a delimiter element, the origin treats the XML file as a single record.
Record Header Attributes
The REST Service origin creates record header attributes that include information about the requested URL.
You can use the record:attribute
or
record:attributeOrDefault
functions to access the information
in the attributes. For more information about working with record header attributes,
see Working with Header Attributes.
- method - The HTTP method for the request, such as GET, POST, or DELETE.
- path - The path of the URL.
- queryString - The parameters of the URL that come after the path. Can be empty if there are no query parameters on the URL.
- remoteHost - The name of the client or proxy that made the request.
The HTTP Server origin also includes HTTP request header fields – such as Host or Content-Type – in records as record header attributes. The attribute names match the original HTTP request header field name.
Configuring an HTTP Server Origin
Configure an HTTP Server origin to generate multiple threads for parallel processing of HTTP POST and PUT requests.
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In the Properties panel, on the General tab, configure the
following properties:
General Property Description Name Stage name. Description Optional description. On Record Error Error record handling for the stage: - Discard - Discards the record.
- Send to Error - Sends the record to the pipeline for error handling.
- Stop Pipeline - Stops the pipeline.
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On the HTTP tab, configure the following
properties:
HTTP Property Description HTTP Listening Port Listening port for the HTTP Server origin. The port number must be included in the URL that the HTTP client uses to pass data. Note: No other pipelines or processes can already be bound to the listening port. The listening port can be used only by a single pipeline.For more information, see Send Data to the Listening Port.
List of Application IDs Optional list of application IDs allowed to pass requests to the HTTP Server origin. If specified, then the HTTP client must pass one of the listed IDs, either in the header of the HTTP request or in a query parameter of the URL that the HTTP client uses to pass data. For more information, see Include the Application ID in Requests.
If not specified, then HTTP requests to the origin do not require an application ID.
Max Concurrent Requests Maximum number of HTTP clients allowed to send messages to the origin at one time. If the origin reaches the configured maximum and receives additional requests from different clients, it processes those requests as slots become available.
This property also determines how many threads the origin generates and uses for multithreaded processing. For more information, see Multithreaded Processing.
Not valid in Data Collector Edge pipelines. In Data Collector Edge pipelines, the HTTP Server origin uses only one thread to process data, and this property is ignored.
Application ID in URL Enables reading the application ID from the URL. Use when HTTP clients include the application ID in the URL query parameter instead of in the request header. For more information, see Include the Application ID in Requests.
Max Request Size (MB) Maximum size of the request body that the origin can process. -
On the Data Format tab, configure the following
property:
Data Format Property Description Data Format Type of data to be processed. Use one of the following data formats: - Avro
- Binary
- Datagram
- Delimited
- JSON
- Protobuf
- SDC Record
- XML
In Data Collector Edge pipelines, the origin supports only the Binary, Delimited, JSON, and SDC Record data formats.
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For binary data, on the Data Format tab, configure the
following properties:
Binary Property Description Compression Format The compression format of the files: - None - Processes only uncompressed files.
- Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats.
- Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats.
- Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, *.json. Default is *, which processes all files.
Max Data Size (bytes) Maximum number of bytes in the message. Larger messages cannot be processed or written to error. -
For datagram data, on the Data Format tab, configure the
following properties:
Datagram Properties Description Datagram Packet Format Packet format of the data: - collectd
- NetFlow
- syslog
- Raw/separated data
TypesDB File Path Path to a user-provided types.db file. Overrides the default types.db file. For collectd data only.
Auth File Path to an optional authentication file. Use an authentication file to accept signed and encrypted data. For collectd data only.
Convert Hi-Res Time & Interval Converts the collectd high resolution time format interval and timestamp to UNIX time, in milliseconds. For collectd data only.
Exclude Interval Excludes the interval field from output record. For collectd data only.
Record Generation Mode Determines the type of values to include in the record. Select one of the following options: - Raw Only
- Interpreted Only
- Both Raw and Interpreted
For NetFlow 9 data only.
Max Templates in Cache The maximum number of templates to store in the template cache. For more information about templates, see Caching NetFlow 9 Templates. Default is -1 for an unlimited cache size.
For NetFlow 9 data only.
Template Cache Timeout (ms) The maximum number of milliseconds to cache an idle template. Templates unused for more than the specified time are evicted from the cache. For more information about templates, see Caching NetFlow 9 Templates. Default is -1 for caching templates indefinitely.
For NetFlow 9 data only.
Charset Character encoding of the messages to be processed. Ignore Control Characters Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters. -
For delimited data, on the Data Format tab, configure the
following properties:
Delimited Property Description Header Line Indicates whether a file contains a header line, and whether to use the header line. Delimiter Format Type Delimiter format type. Use one of the following options: - Default CSV - File that includes comma-separated values. Ignores empty lines in the file.
- RFC4180 CSV - Comma-separated file that strictly follows RFC4180 guidelines.
- MS Excel CSV - Microsoft Excel comma-separated file.
- MySQL CSV - MySQL comma-separated file.
- Tab-Separated Values - File that includes tab-separated values.
- PostgreSQL CSV - PostgreSQL comma-separated file.
- PostgreSQL Text - PostgreSQL text file.
- Custom - File that uses user-defined delimiter, escape, and quote characters.
- Multi Character Delimited - File that uses multiple user-defined characters to delimit fields and lines, and single user-defined escape and quote characters.
Available when using the Apache Commons parser type.
Multi Character Field Delimiter Characters that delimit fields. Default is two pipe characters (||).
Available when using the Apache Commons parser with the multi-character delimiter format.
Multi Character Line Delimiter Characters that delimit lines or records. Default is the newline character (\n).
Available when using the Apache Commons parser with the multi-character delimiter format.
Delimiter Character Delimiter character. Select one of the available options or use Other to enter a custom character. You can enter a Unicode control character using the format \uNNNN, where N is a hexadecimal digit from the numbers 0-9 or the letters A-F. For example, enter \u0000 to use the null character as the delimiter or \u2028 to use a line separator as the delimiter.
Default is the pipe character ( | ).
Available when using the Apache Commons parser with a custom delimiter format.
Field Separator One or more characters to use as delimiter characters between columns. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Quote Character Quote character. Available when using the Apache Commons parser with the custom or multi-character delimiter format. Also available when using the Univocity parser.
Allow Comments Allows commented data to be ignored for custom delimiter format. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Comment Character Character that marks a comment when comments are enabled for custom delimiter format.
Available when using the Univocity parser.
Enable Comments Allows commented data to be ignored for custom delimiter format. Available when using the Apache Commons parser.
Comment Marker Character that marks a comment when comments are enabled for custom delimiter format. Available when using the Apache Commons parser.
Lines to Skip Number of lines to skip before reading data. Compression Format The compression format of the files: - None - Processes only uncompressed files.
- Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats.
- Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats.
- Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, *.json. Default is *, which processes all files.
CSV Parser Parser to use to process delimited data: - Apache Commons - Provides robust parsing and a wide range of delimited format types.
- Univocity - Can provide faster processing for wide delimited files, such as those with over 200 columns.
Default is Apache Commons.
Max Columns Maximum number of columns to process per record. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Max Character per Column Maximum number of characters to process in each column. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Skip Empty Lines Allows skipping empty lines. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Allow Extra Columns Allows processing records with more columns than exist in the header line. Available when using the Apache Commons parser to process data with a header line.
Extra Column Prefix Prefix to use for any additional columns. Extra columns are named using the prefix and sequential increasing integers as follows: <prefix><integer>
.For example,
_extra_1
. Default is_extra_
.Available when using the Apache Commons parser to process data with a header line while allowing extra columns.
Max Record Length (chars) Maximum length of a record in characters. Longer records are not read. This property can be limited by the Data Collector parser buffer size. For more information, see Maximum Record Size.
Available when using the Apache Commons parser.
Ignore Empty Lines Allows empty lines to be ignored. Available when using the Apache Commons parser with the custom delimiter format.
Root Field Type Root field type to use: - List-Map - Generates an indexed list of data. Enables you to use standard functions to process data. Use for new pipelines.
- List - Generates a record with an indexed list with a map for header and value. Requires the use of delimited data functions to process data. Use only to maintain pipelines created before 1.1.0.
Parse NULLs Replaces the specified string constant with null values. NULL Constant String constant to replace with null values. Charset Character encoding of the files to be processed. Ignore Control Characters Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters. -
For JSON data, on the Data Format tab, configure the
following properties:
JSON Property Description JSON Content Type of JSON content. Use one of the following options: - Array of Objects
- Multiple Objects
Compression Format The compression format of the files: - None - Processes only uncompressed files.
- Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats.
- Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats.
- Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, *.json. Default is *, which processes all files.
Maximum Object Length (chars) Maximum number of characters in a JSON object. Longer objects are diverted to the pipeline for error handling.
This property can be limited by the Data Collector parser buffer size. For more information, see Maximum Record Size.
Charset Character encoding of the files to be processed. Ignore Control Characters Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters. -
For protobuf data, on the Data Format tab, configure the
following properties:
Protobuf Property Description Protobuf Descriptor File Descriptor file (.desc) to use. The descriptor file must be in the Data Collector resources directory, $SDC_RESOURCES
.For information about generating the descriptor file, see Protobuf Data Format Prerequisites. For more information about environment variables, see Data Collector Environment Configuration.
Message Type The fully-qualified name for the message type to use when reading data. Use the following format:
Use a message type defined in the descriptor file.<package name>.<message type>
.Delimited Messages Indicates if a message might include more than one protobuf message. Compression Format The compression format of the files: - None - Processes only uncompressed files.
- Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats.
- Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats.
- Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, *.json. Default is *, which processes all files.
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For SDC Record data, on the Data Format tab, configure the
following properties:
SDC Record Property Description Compression Format The compression format of the files: - None - Processes only uncompressed files.
- Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats.
- Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats.
- Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, *.json. Default is *, which processes all files.
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For XML data, on the Data Format tab, configure the
following properties:
XML Property Description Delimiter Element Delimiter to use to generate records. Omit a delimiter to treat the entire XML document as one record. Use one of the following:- An XML element directly under the root element.
Use the XML element name without surrounding angle brackets ( < > ) . For example, msg instead of <msg>.
- A simplified XPath expression that specifies the
data to use.
Use a simplified XPath expression to access data deeper in the XML document or data that requires a more complex access method.
For more information about valid syntax, see Simplified XPath Syntax.
Compression Format The compression format of the files: - None - Processes only uncompressed files.
- Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats.
- Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats.
- Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, *.json. Default is *, which processes all files.
Preserve Root Element Includes the root element in the generated records. When omitting a delimiter to generate a single record, the root element is the root element of the XML document.
When specifying a delimiter to generate multiple records, the root element is the XML element specified as the delimiter element or is the last XML element in the simplified XPath expression specified as the delimiter element.
Include Field XPaths Includes the XPath to each parsed XML element and XML attribute in field attributes. Also includes each namespace in an xmlns record header attribute. When not selected, this information is not included in the record. By default, the property is not selected.
Note: Field attributes and record header attributes are written to destination systems automatically only when you use the SDC RPC data format in destinations. For more information about working with field attributes and record header attributes, and how to include them in records, see Field Attributes and Record Header Attributes.Namespaces Namespace prefix and URI to use when parsing the XML document. Define namespaces when the XML element being used includes a namespace prefix or when the XPath expression includes namespaces. For information about using namespaces with an XML element, see Using XML Elements with Namespaces.
For information about using namespaces with XPath expressions, see Using XPath Expressions with Namespaces.
Using simple or bulk edit mode, click the Add icon to add additional namespaces.
Output Field Attributes Includes XML attributes and namespace declarations in the record as field attributes. When not selected, XML attributes and namespace declarations are included in the record as fields. Note: Field attributes are automatically included in records written to destination systems only when you use the SDC RPC data format in the destination. For more information about working with field attributes, see Field Attributes.By default, the property is not selected.
Max Record Length (chars) The maximum number of characters in a record. Longer records are diverted to the pipeline for error handling.
This property can be limited by the Data Collector parser buffer size. For more information, see Maximum Record Size.
Charset Character encoding of the files to be processed. Ignore Control Characters Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters. - An XML element directly under the root element.
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To use SSL/TLS, click the TLS tab and configure the
following properties:
In Data Collector Edge pipelines, the keystore type, password, and algorithm properties are ignored. In Data Collector Edge pipelines, the HTTP Server origin always uses the default protocol and cipher suites.
TLS Property Description Use TLS Enables the use of TLS. Use Remote Keystore Enables loading the contents of the keystore from a remote credential store or from values entered in the stage properties. For more information, see Remote Keystore and Truststore. Private Key Private key used in the remote keystore. Enter a credential function that returns the key or enter the contents of the key. In Data Collector Edge pipelines, enter the contents of the key.
Certificate Chain Each PEM certificate used in the remote keystore. Enter a credential function that returns the certificate or enter the contents of the certificate. Using simple or bulk edit mode, click the Add icon to add additional certificates.
In Data Collector Edge pipelines, enter the contents of the certificate.
Keystore File Path to the local keystore file. Enter an absolute path to the file or enter the following expression to define the file stored in the Data Collector resources directory:
${runtime:resourcesDirPath()}/keystore.jks
By default, no keystore is used.
In Data Collector Edge pipelines, enter an absolute path to the file that uses the PEM format.
Keystore Type Type of keystore to use. Use one of the following types: - Java Keystore File (JKS)
- PKCS #12 (p12 file)
Default is Java Keystore File (JKS).
Keystore Password Password to the keystore file. A password is optional, but recommended.
Tip: To secure sensitive information such as passwords, you can use runtime resources or credential stores.Keystore Key Algorithm Algorithm to manage the keystore.
Default is SunX509.
Use Default Protocols Uses the default TLSv1.2 transport layer security (TLS) protocol. To use a different protocol, clear this option. Transport Protocols TLS protocols to use. To use a protocol other than the default TLSv1.2, click the Add icon and enter the protocol name. You can use simple or bulk edit mode to add protocols. Note: Older protocols are not as secure as TLSv1.2.Use Default Cipher Suites Uses a default cipher suite for the SSL/TLS handshake. To use a different cipher suite, clear this option. Cipher Suites Cipher suites to use. To use a cipher suite that is not a part of the default set, click the Add icon and enter the name of the cipher suite. You can use simple or bulk edit mode to add cipher suites. Enter the Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) name for the additional cipher suites that you want to use.