With Akka HTTP, how can one handle file uploads and streaming, and what challenges could you face when implementing support for large file transfers?
In Akka HTTP, file uploads and streaming are handled using the “fileUpload” directive and reactive streams. To handle a file upload, extract the uploaded file’s metadata and data bytestring from the request entity. Then, use Sink to write the bytestring into a local file or another storage system.
For large file transfers, implement support for chunked transfer encoding and multipart file uploads. This allows splitting files into smaller parts, enabling efficient memory usage and parallel processing.
Challenges faced when implementing large file transfers include :
1. Memory consumption : Large files can consume significant memory if not properly managed.
2. Timeouts : Long-running connections may lead to timeouts, requiring proper configuration of idle-timeout settings.
3. Backpressure : Ensure backpressure is correctly implemented to prevent overwhelming the server with incoming data.
4. Error handling : Robust error handling is necessary to recover from failures during file transfer.
5. Security : Protect against malicious attacks such as denial-of-service or uploading harmful content.
6. Scalability : Design the system to scale horizontally to accommodate increasing load.
