Re: Smart fetch via HTTP?

> Jan Hudec <bulb@ucw.cz> 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.