robbiehanson/cocoaasyncsocket

★ 12,454Objective-CAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      TCP networking
      UDP networking
      Non-blocking IO
    Key Features
      TLS encryption
      IPv4 and IPv6
      Queued reads writes
      Server-side support
    Tech Stack
      Objective-C
      Swift compatible
      Grand Central Dispatch
    Platforms
      macOS
      iOS
      tvOS
    Install
      CocoaPods
      Carthage
      Swift Package Manager

mindmap root((repo)) What it does TCP networking UDP networking Non-blocking IO Key Features TLS encryption IPv4 and IPv6 Queued reads writes Server-side support Tech Stack Objective-C Swift compatible Grand Central Dispatch Platforms macOS iOS tvOS Install CocoaPods Carthage Swift Package Manager

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Add real-time chat or messaging to an iOS app using a TCP socket connection to your server.

USE CASE 2

Build the networking layer for a multiplayer game on iOS using UDP for low-latency data exchange.

USE CASE 3

Create a macOS server app that accepts incoming TCP connections from multiple clients simultaneously.

USE CASE 4

Send data securely over TLS encryption on iOS without manually configuring SSL certificates.

Tech stack

Objective-CCocoaPodsCarthageSwift Package Manager

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires familiarity with how TCP and UDP sockets work, the README links a wiki for developers new to socket networking.

Public domain, use in any project, personal or commercial, without any restrictions or attribution requirements.

In plain English

CocoaAsyncSocket is a networking library for macOS, iOS, and tvOS that handles sending and receiving data over a network connection. Networking code in Apple platforms can be verbose and error-prone when written from scratch, this library wraps the low-level details in two simple classes so developers can focus on what data to send rather than how to send it. The library provides two main classes. GCDAsyncSocket handles TCP connections, which is the type of networking used by most applications that need reliable, ordered delivery of data (web requests, chat, file transfers). GCDAsyncUdpSocket handles UDP, which is used for faster, lower-overhead communication where occasional lost packets are acceptable (live audio, games, streaming). Both classes are built on Grand Central Dispatch, Apple's system for running work concurrently, making them non-blocking and thread-safe. Key capabilities listed in the README include queued reads and writes (you tell the library what you want sent or received and it handles buffering), automatic handling of both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, built-in support for TLS and SSL encryption (the same protocol used for HTTPS), and automatic acceptance of incoming connections for server-side use. The library is written in Objective-C but works in Swift apps through a standard import. It can be added to a project via CocoaPods, Carthage, or Swift Package Manager, or by copying source files directly. The README notes a wiki for developers new to how networking sockets actually behave. The license is public domain, meaning the code can be used in any project without restriction.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Using CocoaAsyncSocket in my iOS app, connect to a TCP server and receive JSON messages asynchronously without blocking the main thread.

Prompt 2

Show me how to use GCDAsyncSocket from CocoaAsyncSocket to create a simple TCP echo server on macOS that handles multiple connections.

Prompt 3

How do I enable TLS encryption on a CocoaAsyncSocket TCP connection to make it as secure as HTTPS?

Prompt 4

Using GCDAsyncUdpSocket from CocoaAsyncSocket, send real-time position updates from my iOS game to other players.

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