Why Does HTTPS Return Large Data While HTTP Returns Line by Line?

Background:

Recently, while debugging a ChatGPT dialogue website, I encountered issues with large data responses, leading me to use stream reading. The initial HTTP calls worked without any problems, but when switching to HTTPS in production, I kept facing errors. After struggling with this issue for two days, I finally resolved it with the help of ChatGPT.

Why Does HTTPS Return Large Data While HTTP Returns Line by Line?

This is because the HTTPS and HTTP protocols use different transmission methods when transmitting data. The HTTP protocol transmits data in plaintext, where data is sent line by line, with each line ending in a carriage return and newline character. This method is straightforward but lacks security, making it vulnerable to eavesdropping and tampering. The HTTPS protocol uses encrypted transmission, where data is sent in large chunks, and the length of each chunk is variable. This method is more secure as it protects the confidentiality and integrity of the data, but it may have slightly lower transmission efficiency compared to the HTTP protocol. Therefore, if you need to transmit highly confidential data, it is advisable to use the HTTPS protocol. If the data is not very confidential, you can use the HTTP protocol for transmission.

How to Change HTTPS to Return Data Line by Line in Nginx Configuration?

If you want to change the data return method under the HTTPS protocol to line by line, you can achieve this by modifying the Nginx configuration file. In the Nginx configuration file, you can control data buffering and transmission methods using the proxy_buffering and proxy_buffer_size parameters. By default, Nginx enables buffering, caching data in memory and then transmitting it to the client all at once. If you want to transmit data line by line to the client, you can set the proxy_buffering parameter to off and set the proxy_buffer_size parameter to a smaller value, such as 1. Here is an example configuration file:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name example.com;
    ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://backend;
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_buffer_size 1; // This has little effect and can be commented out
    }
}

In this example configuration file, we set the proxy_buffering parameter to off and the proxy_buffer_size parameter to 1, allowing data to be transmitted line by line to the client. We also enabled the HTTPS protocol and specified the paths for the SSL certificate and private key.

Finally, after completing the configuration, reload Nginx to apply the changes.

nginx -s reload

Complete support for HTTPS is now available. Everyone can register an account to try it out. If you want to contact me, I am offering a free one-month membership. https://yizhan.club