[HTTPCLIENT-1376] HttpClient incorrectly reuses HTTP/1.1 connection - the response body of the first request is considered as the response for the second request

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 4.2.4
• Fix Version/s: 4.2.5
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Carl D'Halluin
• Created: 19/Jun/13 16:22
• Updated: 05/Oct/13 19:41
• Resolved: 19/Jun/13 19:52

Description

In the following scenario, the HttpClient incorrectly reuses the HTTP/1.1 stream, and actually considers the response body of the first request, to be the HTTP response to a second request.

Details:

1. Client does a simple HTTP/1.1 GET request
2. Server responds with a 401 and a WWW-Authenticate header
3. Client repeats the GET request but now with an Authorization header
4. Server responds with a HTTP/1.1 200 OK but there is no content length. The server sends a response body
5. HttpClient ignores the response body by closing the entity content InputStream (or call EntityUtils.consume)
6. Client sends a new HTTP/1.1 GET request (totally unrelated to the previous one)
7. Client erroneously considers the response body received in step 5 as the response to step 6

I tracked the bug down in the HttpClient library: Step 2 marks the HTTP connection as reusable. Step 4 should explicitly mark the connection as non-reusable since the only thing the client can do to such an ugly reponse (no content-length) is read until EOF. However, that does not happen in step 4. Hence in step 5 the code sees that the connection is reusable, and doesnt bother consuming the response content at all. The body is reused in step 7

Here we see 4 times 2 subsequent request

• first 2 are no authentication no streaming: HttpClient correctly does not reuse connection (see port number)
• next 2 are no authentication with streaming: HttpClient correctly does not reuse connection
• next 2 are with authentication with streaming: HttpClient correctly does not reuse connection
• final 2 are with authentication no streaming: Bug - HttpClient tries to reuse connection given error. Closing the HttpResponse InputStream does not correctly close the underlying Socket

REQUEST: GET http://127.0.0.1:8777/non-authenticated.html
RESPONSE STATUS: HTTP/1.1 200 OK - client is 127.0.0.1:49603
RESPONSE BODY - SKIPPED

REQUEST: GET http://127.0.0.1:8777/non-authenticated.html
RESPONSE STATUS: HTTP/1.1 200 OK - client is 127.0.0.1:49604
RESPONSE BODY - SKIPPED

=======================

REQUEST: GET http://127.0.0.1:8777/non-authenticated.html
RESPONSE STATUS: HTTP/1.1 200 OK - client is 127.0.0.1:49605
RESPONSE BODY:   HTTP/1.1 400 This is a request body - client is 127.0.0.1:49605
RESPONSE BODY:   

REQUEST: GET http://127.0.0.1:8777/non-authenticated.html
RESPONSE STATUS: HTTP/1.1 200 OK - client is 127.0.0.1:49606
RESPONSE BODY:   HTTP/1.1 400 This is a request body - client is 127.0.0.1:49606
RESPONSE BODY:   

=======================

REQUEST: GET http://127.0.0.1:8777/authenticated.html
RESPONSE STATUS: HTTP/1.1 200 OK - client is 127.0.0.1:49607
RESPONSE BODY:   HTTP/1.1 400 This is a request body - client is 127.0.0.1:49607
RESPONSE BODY:   

REQUEST: GET http://127.0.0.1:8777/authenticated.html
RESPONSE STATUS: HTTP/1.1 200 OK - client is 127.0.0.1:49608
RESPONSE BODY:   HTTP/1.1 400 This is a request body - client is 127.0.0.1:49608
RESPONSE BODY:   

=======================

REQUEST: GET http://127.0.0.1:8777/authenticated.html
RESPONSE STATUS: HTTP/1.1 200 OK - client is 127.0.0.1:49609
RESPONSE BODY - SKIPPED

REQUEST: GET http://127.0.0.1:8777/authenticated.html
RESPONSE STATUS: HTTP/1.1 400 This is a request body - client is 127.0.0.1:49609
--> BUG! Response status 400
RESPONSE BODY - SKIPPED

Issue Links

• duplicates: HTTPCLIENT-1340 Connection re-used in a inconsistent state despite 'Connection: close' after successful authentication