Efficient Packet types/transfer protocol

Question

Using boost::asio in C++, I'm trying to determine the best way to encrypt packets in my program. I thought of defining packets all by myself by type number, each with different fixed packet sizes. The system reads the header (type, and quantity of entries for lists of data) and creates the appropriate structure to receive the data, then it reacts according to the data received.

However, when I look at this method, I wonder if there would be a simpler way to accomplish this without sacrificing efficiency.

These packets are to be sent between different applications trough TCP. Ideally, I'm aiming at both applications using as least bandwidth and CPU as possible while also being as simple to modify as possible. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

TCP uses streams of data, not packets. I highly suggest thinking of your data transmission as a stream of data instead of sequence of packets. This will make it easier to abstract into your code. Take a look at Boost.Serialization or Google Protocol Buffers .

Boost.Asio has SSL encryption capabilities , so it's trivial to encrypt the stream of data. It also has an example using serialization.

Answer 2

Have you considered google protobufs ? While it doesn't actually do the encryption (you'll have to do that yourself), it does provide a way of encoding the structured data allowing you to send it over the wire efficiently. Additionally, there are many language bindings for it (C++, Java, and Python off the top of my head).