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Client-Server Protocols Index¤

Traditional request-response protocol architectures for network testing

This section covers protocol plugins that implement traditional client-server communication patterns, where clients initiate connections and requests to servers.

Available Client-Server Protocols¤

Core Protocols¤

  • HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol
  • Support for HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3
  • TLS encryption and certificate management

  • RESTful API testing capabilities

  • QUIC - Quick UDP Internet Connections

  • Modern transport protocol with built-in encryption
  • 0-RTT connection establishment

  • Connection migration and multiplexing

  • MiniP - Minimal Internet Protocol

  • Simplified protocol for educational and testing purposes
  • Lightweight implementation for basic connectivity testing
  • Ideal for formal verification scenarios

Protocol Selection Guide¤

Use Case Recommended Protocol Notes
Web application testing HTTP Traditional web protocols
Modern transport research QUIC Latest networking innovations
Educational/Formal testing MiniP Simplified protocol semantics
Performance benchmarking QUIC, HTTP Production-grade implementations

Configuration Pattern¤

All client-server protocols follow this configuration structure:

services:
  server:
    protocol:
      name: quic  # or http, minip
      version: rfc9000
      role: server
    implementation:
      name: picoquic
      type: iut

  client:
    protocol:
      name: quic
      version: rfc9000
      role: client
      target: server  # References server service
    implementation:
      name: picoquic
      type: iut

Integration with PANTHER¤

Client-server protocols integrate with:

Getting Started¤

  1. Choose a protocol based on your testing requirements
  2. Select implementations from available service plugins
  3. Configure environment (Docker Compose, localhost, or Shadow NS)
  4. Run experiments using PANTHER's 4-phase execution model

For detailed examples, see Quick Start Guide.

Development¤

To create new client-server protocol plugins, see the Protocol Development Guide.