Re: Smart fetch via HTTP?

Jan Hudec [off-list ref] wrote:

Did anyone already think about fetching over HTTP working similarly to the
native git protocol?

No work has been done on this (that I know of) but I've discussed
it to some extent with Simon 'corecode' Schubert on #git, and I
think he also brought it up on the mailing list not too long after.

I've certainly thought about adding some sort of pack-objects
frontend into gitweb.cgi for this exact purpose.  It is really
quite easy, except for the negotation of what the client has.  ;-)
 

Than a question is how to implement it. The current protocol is stateful on
both sides, but the stateless nature of HTTP more or less requires the
protocol to be stateless on the server.

I think it would be possible to use basically the same protocol as now, but
make it stateless for server. That is server first sends it's heads and than
client repeatedly sends all it's wants and some haves until the server acks
all of them and sends the pack.

I think Simon was talking about doubling the number of haves the
client sends in each request.  So the client POSTs initially all
of its current refs; then current refs and their parents; then 4
commits back, then 8, etc.  The server replies to each POST request
with either a "send more please" or the packfile.

-- 
Shawn.