Hands-On Network Programming with C

A comprehensive guide to programming with network sockets, implementing Internet protocols, designing IoT devices, and much more with C

Key Features

• Leverage your C or C++ programming skills to build powerful network applications
• Get to grips with a variety of network protocols that allow you to load web pages, send emails, and do much more
• Write portable network code for operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and macOS

Book Description

Network programming, a challenging topic in C, is made easy to understand with a careful exposition of socket programming APIs. This book gets you started with modern network programming in C and the right use of relevant operating system APIs.

This book covers core concepts, such as hostname resolution with DNS, that are crucial to the functioning of the modern web. You'll delve into the fundamental network protocols, TCP and UDP. Essential techniques for networking paradigms such as client-server and peer-to-peer models are explained with the help of practical examples. You'll also study HTTP and HTTPS (the protocols responsible for web pages) from both the client and server perspective. To keep up with current trends, you'll apply the concepts covered in this book to gain insights into web programming for IoT. You'll even get to grips with network monitoring and implementing security best practices.

By the end of this book, you'll have experience of working with client-server applications, and be able to implement new network programs in C.

The code in this book is compatible with the older C99 version as well as the latest C18 and C++17 standards. Special consideration is given to writing robust, reliable, and secure code that is portable across operating systems, including Winsock sockets for Windows and POSIX sockets for Linux and macOS.

What you will learn

• Uncover cross-platform socket programming APIs
• Implement techniques for supporting IPv4 and IPv6
• Understand how TCP and UDP connections work over IP
• Discover how hostname resolution and DNS work
• Interface with web APIs using HTTP and HTTPS
• Acquire hands-on experience with Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
• Apply network programming to the Internet of Things (IoT)

Who this book is for

If you're a developer or a system administrator who wants to enter the world of network programming, this book is for you. Basic knowledge of C programming is assumed.

Table of Contents

1. Introducing Networks and Protocols
2. Getting to Grips with Socket APIs
3. An In-Depth Overview of TCP connections
4. Establishing UDP Connections
5. Hostname Resolution and DNS
6. Building a Simple Web Client
7. Building a Simple Web Server
8. Making Your Program Send Emails
9. Loading Secure Web Pages with HTTPS and OpenSSL
10. Implementing a Secure Web Server
11. Establishing SSH Connections
12. Network Monitoring and Security
13. Socket Programming Tips and Pitfalls
14. Web Programming for the Internet of Things
15. Answers to Questions
16. Setting Up Your C Compiler on Windows
17. Setting Up Your C Compiler on Linux
18. Setting Up Your C Compiler on macOS
19. Example Programs

Lewis Van Winkle is a software programming consultant, entrepreneur, and founder of a successful IoT company. He has over 20 years of programming experience after publishing his first successful software product at age 12. He has over 15 years of programming experience with the C programming language on a variety of operating systems and platforms. He is active in the open-source community and has published several popular open-source programs and libraries many of them in C. Today, Lewis spends much of his time consulting, where he loves taking on difficult projects that other programmers have given up on. He specializes in network systems, financial systems, machine learning, and interoperation between different programming languages.