gh-86809: Add support for HTTP range requests by DavidBord · Pull Request #24228 · python/cpython

DavidBord · 2021-01-16T12:54:46Z

https://bugs.python.org/issue42643

Issue: http.server does not support HTTP range requests #86809

github-actions · 2021-02-16T00:24:11Z

This PR is stale because it has been open for 30 days with no activity.

roolebo · 2021-02-20T17:53:51Z

@DavidBord Thanks! I think built-in range support is going to be helpful

stokito · 2021-02-20T20:49:09Z

It’s needed to resume downloads and this may significantly reduce load in some cases. That’s why even minimal busybox httpd has a support of Range requests

github-actions · 2021-03-23T00:27:13Z

This PR is stale because it has been open for 30 days with no activity.

chrisroat · 2021-06-25T22:06:42Z

This is a most welcome update. Thank you @DavidBord

imba-tjd · 2022-02-12T05:36:44Z

Personally I think it's fundamental to support Range: bytes=<range-start>- i.e. no <range-end>.

Others I think are OK.

I'm using a modified version of this patch in my program https://github.com/imba-tjd/qrsend. I will share info when I found defects.

imba-tjd · 2022-04-25T10:01:55Z

-        shutil.copyfileobj(source, outputfile)
+        if start_byte is not None and end_byte is not None:
+            source.seek(start_byte)
+            outputfile.write(source.read(end_byte))


Fatal error. When you use 2-5, the start_byte is 2 and end_byte is 5. Then you read(5).
The correct behavior is read(4), which is end_byte-start_byte+1. Though I won't suggest whether putting +1 here or previous place.

More importantly, read() will load all data into memory in a row before start writing. This has serious performance issue when resuming large file. I tried source.truncate() but it turns out an io.UnsupportedOperation.

Besides Content-Length needs changing too. So that new testing is recommended to be added, too.

muxator · 2026-04-03T23:07:24Z

Is there a way to help reviewing this PR? I'd like to help.

imba-tjd · 2026-04-04T14:53:22Z

Is there a way to help reviewing this PR? I'd like to help.

There was another PR which was detailed discussed. However it seems to be deleted. Maybe it will be recoverd.

This PR is poorly implemented and can be closed IMO.

GalaxySnail · 2026-04-04T16:37:37Z

You can use git fetch origin pull/118949/head:pr/118949 to get the code in #118949. The latest commit on this branch is 580aa14. And the latest archive on the Wayback Machine is https://web.archive.org/web/20250925083524/https://github.com/python/cpython/pull/118949.

github-actions · 2026-05-10T18:17:51Z

This PR is stale because it has been open for 30 days with no activity.

DavidBord · 2026-07-24T13:36:16Z

I went through the review feedback on this PR.
I also went over GH-118949 and brought over the pieces that were valuable here.

read-the-docs-community · 2026-07-24T13:41:31Z

Documentation build overview

📚 cpython-previews | 🛠️ Build #35284491 | 📁 Comparing 969eaed against main (a400767)

🔍 Preview build

418 files changed · + 9 added · ± 409 modified

+ Added

± Modified

ambv · 2026-10-20T22:47:54Z

This PR is superseded by #118949, a newer open pull request for the same issue (gh-86809), and it no longer merges cleanly. Closing to cull the number of open pull requests. Do not reopen this pull request without getting a go-ahead from a triager or core developer.

Closing this was the wrong decision, closing #118949 instead and keeping this alive.

Co-authored-by: Muse Code (Meta Muse Spark) # Conflicts: # Doc/whatsnew/3.16.rst # Lib/http/server.py

lyc8503 · 2026-10-21T02:25:48Z

I also went over #118949 and brought over the pieces that were valuable here.

Hi, I'm the author of #118949. Much more disscussion is done there. Maybe we should coauthor this if you took code pieces there?

There was another PR which was detailed discussed. However it seems to be deleted. Maybe it will be recoverd.

It's Microsoft somehow banning my GitHub account by mistake and took down that. Now it's back.

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:26:28Z

Yes, please credit the author of the other PR in both the commits and the NEWS/What's New entry.

picnixz

I want to ask some questions:

How much from your original work has been kept?
How much did you take from the other PR?

AFAICT, the tests in this PR are better written, but the implementation itself is closer to what I wanted to have. In particular, I don't like the http_range keyword and the lack of documentation since we are adding new keyword parameters and expecting files to be seekable as well.

Please however address the credit attribution first because depending on how much was pulled from the other PR, I would rather have the other PR merged.

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:26:40Z

   .. versionchanged:: 3.15
      Added *extra_response_headers* parameter.

+   .. versionchanged:: 3.16


Suggested change

.. versionchanged:: 3.16

.. versionchanged:: next

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:27:05Z

+
+* :class:`~http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler` now supports HTTP
+  single-part range requests for files, as specified in :rfc:`9110#section-14`.
+  (Contributed by David Bord in :gh:`86809`.)


Suggested change

(Contributed by David Bord in :gh:`86809`.)

(Contributed by David Bord in :gh:`86809`.)

Please credit the other PR's author.

@lyc8503 Please indicate how you want to be credited here.

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:28:13Z

+                    return None
+                else:
+                    self._range = (start, end)


Suggested change

return None

else:

self._range = (start, end)

return None

self._range = (start, end)

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:30:42Z

        if f:
            try:
-                self.copyfile(f, self.wfile)
+                self.copyfile(f, self.wfile, http_range=self._range)


Personally, I would prefer that we have range=self._range rather than http_range, even if we are shadowing a built-in. The range itself can be given explicitly as it's simply a (start, end) pair.

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:31:11Z

        return path

-    def copyfile(self, source, outputfile):
+    def copyfile(self, source, outputfile, *, http_range=None):


You must document that this method has a new keyword argument now.

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:40:57Z

                os.chmod(self.tempdir, 0o755)

+    @support.subTests(
+        'range_header,content_range,content_length,start,end',


Suggested change

'range_header,content_range,content_length,start,end',

('range_header', 'content_range', 'content_length', 'start', 'end'),

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:41:20Z

+            ('bYtEs=2-5', 'bytes 2-5/30', '4', 2, 6),
+            ('bytes=3-', 'bytes 3-29/30', '27', 3, None),
+            ('bytes=-5', 'bytes 25-29/30', '5', 25, None),
+            ('bytes=29-29', 'bytes 29-29/30', '1', 29, None),
+            ('bytes=25-100', 'bytes 25-29/30', '5', 25, None),


For each param, please indicate what case exercises (using a # comment)

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:42:00Z

+        self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-range'), 'bytes */30')
+        self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-length'), '0')


Suggested change

self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-range'), 'bytes */30')

self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-length'), '0')

self.assertEqual(response.getheader('Content-Range'), 'bytes */30')

self.assertEqual(response.getheader('Content-Length'), '0')

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:42:11Z

+        self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-range'), 'bytes */0')
+        self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-length'), '0')


Suggested change

self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-range'), 'bytes */0')

self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-length'), '0')

self.assertEqual(response.getheader('Content-Range'), 'bytes */0')

self.assertEqual(response.getheader('Content-Length'), '0')

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:42:43Z

+SimpleHTTPRequestHandler now supports single-part HTTP range requests, as
+specified in RFC 9110 section 14.


Suggested change

SimpleHTTPRequestHandler now supports single-part HTTP range requests, as

specified in RFC 9110 section 14.

Added support for HTTP single-part range requests on files to

:class:`~http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler`, as specified

in :rfc:`9110#section-14`.

bedevere-app · 2026-10-21T17:47:45Z

A Python core developer has requested some changes be made to your pull request before we can consider merging it. If you could please address their requests along with any other requests in other reviews from core developers that would be appreciated.

Once you have made the requested changes, please leave a comment on this pull request containing the phrase I have made the requested changes; please review again. I will then notify any core developers who have left a review that you're ready for them to take another look at this pull request.

picnixz · 2026-10-21T17:55:05Z

I looked at the commit history and despite the force push, the original PR's code is no longer the author's AFAICT. I can't find any tests either and thus I would rather have the other PR be altered with the tests this one brings. From a work perspective, the other PR made the work that I would like to see shipped.

the-knights-who-say-ni added the CLA signed label Jan 16, 2021

bedevere-bot added the awaiting review label Jan 16, 2021

adhikariabhiram approved these changes Jan 16, 2021

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stokito approved these changes Jan 16, 2021

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github-actions Bot added the stale Stale PR or inactive for long period of time. label Feb 16, 2021

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github-actions Bot added the stale Stale PR or inactive for long period of time. label Mar 23, 2021

imba-tjd suggested changes Apr 25, 2022

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github-actions Bot removed the stale Stale PR or inactive for long period of time. label Aug 3, 2022

AraHaan mannequin mentioned this pull request Mar 3, 2023

http.server does not support HTTP range requests #86809

Open

github-actions Bot added the stale Stale PR or inactive for long period of time. label May 10, 2026

DavidBord force-pushed the http-range-requests-bpo-42643 branch from 87935c0 to a89f588 Compare July 24, 2026 13:33

DavidBord requested a review from AA-Turner as a code owner July 24, 2026 13:33

DavidBord and others added 2 commits July 24, 2026 18:10

bpo-42643: Add support for HTTP range requests

8a0656c

📜🤖 Added by blurb_it.

1aedfad

DavidBord force-pushed the http-range-requests-bpo-42643 branch from cd2dfba to 1aedfad Compare July 24, 2026 15:10

github-actions Bot removed the stale Stale PR or inactive for long period of time. label Jul 26, 2026

serhiy-storchaka changed the title ~~bpo-42643: Add support for HTTP range requests~~ gh-86809: Add support for HTTP range requests Aug 12, 2026

ambv closed this Oct 20, 2026

ambv reopened this Oct 20, 2026

bedevere-app Bot added the type-feature A feature request or enhancement label Oct 20, 2026

ambv mentioned this pull request Oct 20, 2026

gh-86809: Add support for HTTP Range header in HTTPServer #118949

Closed

picnixz self-requested a review October 20, 2026 23:39

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into pr-24228

969eaed

Co-authored-by: Muse Code (Meta Muse Spark) # Conflicts: # Doc/whatsnew/3.16.rst # Lib/http/server.py

picnixz requested changes Oct 21, 2026

View reviewed changes

bedevere-app Bot added awaiting changes and removed awaiting core review labels Oct 21, 2026

	(Contributed by David Bord in :gh:`86809`.)
	(Contributed by David Bord in :gh:`86809`.)

	'range_header,content_range,content_length,start,end',
	('range_header', 'content_range', 'content_length', 'start', 'end'),

		self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-range'), 'bytes */30')
		self.assertEqual(response.getheader('content-length'), '0')

		SimpleHTTPRequestHandler now supports single-part HTTP range requests, as
		specified in RFC 9110 section 14.

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