How to make PHP generate Chunked response
Question
I googled for this problem but there is no answer for it.
I want my PHP script to generate HTTP response in chunked( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunked_transfer_encoding ). How to do it?
Update: I figured it out. I have to specify Transfer-encoding header and flush it.
header("Transfer-encoding: chunked");
flush();
The flush is necessary. Otherwise, Content-Length header will be generated.
And, I have to make chunks by myself. With a helper function, it is not hard.
function dump_chunk($chunk)
{
echo sprintf("%x\r\n", strlen($chunk));
echo $chunk;
echo "\r\n";
}
9 answers
solution1
6 2012-05-23 12:53:16
This has gotten a little vauge... if you don't mind big assed chunks, (0x1000 octets or so), then yes, PHP will make them.
<?php
while (true) {
# output data
flush()
usleep(pow(2,18));
}
?>
PHP will generated the numbered sections, etc.
If you want to send tiny little chunks, as you might do with an AJAX client... well, I've combined the OPs question, with some research on PHP.NET, and it does look like he was on to a good thing.
$ echo -en "GET /chunked/ HTTP/1.1\\r\\nHost: ec\\r\\n\\r\\n" | nc localhost 80
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 13:03:01 GMT
Server: Apache/2.2.9 (Debian) PHP/5.3.5-1 with Suhosin-Patch mod_ssl/2.2.9 OpenSSL/0.9.8o
X-Powered-By: PHP/5.3.5-1
Transfer-encoding: chunked
Content-Type: text/html
14
Teachers have class.
50
We secure our friends not by accepting favors but by doing them.
-- Thucydides
48
Vulcans never bluff.
-- Spock, "The Doomsday Machine", stardate 4202.1
31
All kings is mostly rapscallions.
-- Mark Twain
41
Reappraisal, n.:
An abrupt change of mind after being found out.
49
He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.
-- Lao Tsu
Whether or not it will eventually squeeze out it out's own (incorrect) chunk count, remains to be seen... but I saw no sign of it.
<?php
header("Transfer-encoding: chunked");
@apache_setenv('no-gzip', 1);
@ini_set('zlib.output_compression', 0);
@ini_set('implicit_flush', 1);
for ($i = 0; $i < ob_get_level(); $i++) ob_end_flush();
ob_implicit_flush(1); flush();
function dump_chunk($chunk)
{
printf("%x\r\n%s\r\n", strlen($chunk), $chunk);
flush();
}
for (;;) {
$output = array();
exec("/usr/games/fortune", $output);
dump_chunk(implode("\n", $output));
usleep(pow(2,18));
}
?>
solution2
5 2013-02-15 23:16:45
Working sample as of 16.02.2013
<?php
function dump_chunk($chunk) {
//echo sprintf("%x\r\n", strlen($chunk));
echo sprintf("\r\n");
echo $chunk;
echo "\r\n";
}
ob_start();
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<title>Title</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php
ob_end_flush();
flush();
ob_flush();
for ($i = 0; $i < 5; $i++) {
sleep(1);
dump_chunk('Sending data chunk ' . ($i + 1) . ' of 1000 <br />');
flush();
ob_flush();
}
sleep(1); // needed for last animation
?>
</body>
</html>
solution3
5 2011-09-23 00:51:25
A PHP response will always be chunked if you don't specify a content-length header, and a flush occurs. (which will happen automatically after x bytes, just don't know exactly how much).
This is a weird thing to care about. Is this some kind of academic/learning exercise or is there a real world problem you're trying to solve?
solution4
2 2010-03-20 04:49:14
You should be able to use:
<?php header("Transfer-Encoding: chunked");
but you'll have to ensure yourself that the output follows the specifications.
solution5
2 2014-11-12 18:12:04
The output buffer will not be sent to the browser until it is full. The default size is 4096 bytes. So you either need to change the buffer size or pad your chunks. Also, the browser may have it's own minimum buffer before the page is displayed. Note that according to the Wikipedia Article about chunked encoding, sending a 0\\r\\n\\r\\n chunk terminates the response.
If you want to change the output buffering size setting, I read that you cannot use ini_set('output_buffering', $value) . Instead, change the output buffering setting by adding the following to your php.ini file.
php_value output_buffering 1024
Here's an example of padding your chunks
header("Transfer-Encoding: chunked");
header("Content-Encoding: none");
// Send chunk to browser
function send_chunk($chunk)
{
// The chunk must fill the output buffer or php won't send it
$chunk = str_pad($chunk, 4096);
printf("%x\r\n%s\r\n", strlen($chunk), $chunk);
flush();
}
// Send your content in chunks
for($i=0; $i<10; $i++)
{
send_chunk("This is Chunk #$i.<br>\r\n");
usleep(500000);
}
// note that if you send an empty chunk
// the browser won't display additional output
echo "0\r\n\r\n";
flush();
Here's a short version that demonstrates 0\\r\\n\\r\\n\\ terminating the output:
$output = "hello world";
header("Transfer-Encoding: chunked");
header('Content-Encoding: none');
printf("%x\r\n%s\r\n", strlen($output), $output);
ob_flush();
print("0\r\n\r\n");
ob_flush();
flush();
sleep(10);
print('POST PROCESSING');
solution6
2 2011-09-22 23:55:23
A simpler way (without creating your own data chunks) is to only use flush():
<?php
$fp = fopen('data.bin', "rb");
flush();
fpassthru($fp);
?>
This worked for me as shown in the following HTTP request and response.
Request:
00000000 47 45 54 20 2f 67 65 74 2d 63 68 75 6e 6b 2e 70 GET /get -chunk.p
00000010 68 70 20 48 54 54 50 2f 31 2e 31 0d 0a 55 73 65 hp HTTP/ 1.1..Use
00000020 72 2d 41 67 65 6e 74 3a 20 63 75 72 6c 2f 37 2e r-Agent: curl/7.
00000030 32 31 2e 37 20 28 69 36 38 36 2d 70 63 2d 6c 69 21.7 (i6 86-pc-li
00000040 6e 75 78 2d 67 6e 75 29 20 6c 69 62 63 75 72 6c nux-gnu) libcurl
00000050 2f 37 2e 32 31 2e 37 20 4f 70 65 6e 53 53 4c 2f /7.21.7 OpenSSL/
00000060 31 2e 30 2e 30 64 20 7a 6c 69 62 2f 31 2e 32 2e 1.0.0d z lib/1.2.
00000070 35 20 6c 69 62 73 73 68 32 2f 31 2e 32 2e 37 0d 5 libssh 2/1.2.7.
00000080 0a 48 6f 73 74 3a 20 67 61 69 61 0d 0a 41 63 63 .Host: g aia..Acc
00000090 65 70 74 3a 20 2a 2f 2a 0d 0a 0d 0a ept: */* ....
Response:
00000000 48 54 54 50 2f 31 2e 31 20 32 30 30 20 4f 4b 0d HTTP/1.1 200 OK.
00000010 0a 44 61 74 65 3a 20 54 68 75 2c 20 32 32 20 53 .Date: T hu, 22 S
00000020 65 70 20 32 30 31 31 20 32 33 3a 35 33 3a 30 32 ep 2011 23:53:02
00000030 20 47 4d 54 0d 0a 53 65 72 76 65 72 3a 20 41 70 GMT..Se rver: Ap
00000040 61 63 68 65 2f 32 2e 32 2e 38 20 28 46 65 64 6f ache/2.2 .8 (Fedo
00000050 72 61 29 0d 0a 58 2d 50 6f 77 65 72 65 64 2d 42 ra)..X-P owered-B
00000060 79 3a 20 50 48 50 2f 35 2e 32 2e 36 0d 0a 54 72 y: PHP/5 .2.6..Tr
00000070 61 6e 73 66 65 72 2d 45 6e 63 6f 64 69 6e 67 3a ansfer-E ncoding:
00000080 20 63 68 75 6e 6b 65 64 0d 0a 43 6f 6e 74 65 6e chunked ..Conten
00000090 74 2d 54 79 70 65 3a 20 74 65 78 74 2f 68 74 6d t-Type: text/htm
000000A0 6c 3b 20 63 68 61 72 73 65 74 3d 55 54 46 2d 38 l; chars et=UTF-8
000000B0 0d 0a 0d 0a ....
000000B4 61 0d 0a 54 45 53 54 20 44 41 54 41 0a 0d 0a 30 a..TEST DATA...0
000000C4 0d 0a 0d 0a ....
solution7
0 2013-04-29 09:05:35
Andriy F.'s solution worked for me. Here's a simplified version of his answer:
function dump_chunk($chunk)
{
echo $chunk;
flush();
ob_flush();
}
header('Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8');
flush();
for ($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++) {
dump_chunk('Sending data chunk ' . ($i + 1) . ' of 1000 <br />');
sleep(1);
}
Although I don't understand why the ob_flush() call is needed. If someone knows, please comment.
solution8
0 2014-08-29 19:45:43
If the size is big enough, Apache do it for you. If you work with ob_gzhandler, I think it makes no sense. Better you let the buffer out as fast as possible. If PHP really does not send automatically the content-length header or the content-length is from the uncompressed content:
ob_start();
ob_start("ob_gzhandler");
...
ob_end_flush();
header('Content-Length: '.ob_get_length());
ob_end_flush();
You could reduce buffer size with apache 's mod_buffer (may be with PHP's ini_set).
PS: If the size is big enough and the content-length is unknown, the content will be send in chunks as a makeshift.
solution9
-1 2012-08-20 22:46:31
I needed to do two additional things to get this to work. Call ob_start if an object had not yet been started. And also echo out a long empty string. The browser requires a certain amount of content to be sent in it's first chunk it appears.
header('Content-Encoding', 'chunked');
header('Transfer-Encoding', 'chunked');
header('Content-Type', 'text/html');
header('Connection', 'keep-alive');
if (ob_get_level() == 0) ob_start();
echo str_pad('',4096)."\n";
ob_flush();
flush();
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