Go HTTP Request Counter Server

Introduction

This Go application is an HTTP server that counts the number of requests received in the last 60 seconds (moving window). The count is persisted to a file, ensuring that the data is not lost when the server restarts. This project demonstrates the use of Go's standard library to create a web server, manage concurrent requests, and handle file operations.

Prerequisites

Before running this application, ensure you have the following installed:

• Docker
• Docker Compose

These tools are required to build and run the application inside a Docker container, ensuring a consistent environment and easy deployment.

Running the Application

To run the application, follow these steps:

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/mtaha1996/request-counter
   cd request-counter

2. Build and Run with Docker Compose:

   Use Docker Compose to build and run the application:

   docker-compose up --build

   This command builds the Docker image and starts the server. The server will be accessible at http://localhost:8080.

3. Accessing the Application:

   Send requests to the server using a web browser or tools like curl:

   curl http://localhost:8080

   The server will respond with the number of requests received in the past 60 seconds.

Persistent Data

The application persists request count data in a file named storage.json. This file is stored outside the Docker container in a mounted volume to ensure data persistence across container restarts.

Stopping the Application

To stop the application, use the following Docker Compose command:

docker-compose down

Additional Notes

• The application is configured to run on port 8080. If this port is occupied on your machine, you may need to modify the port configuration in the docker-compose.yml file.
• The base image used in the Dockerfile is golang:1.20. You can change this to a different version if required, but ensure it's compatible with the application.

Configuration and Flags

This application supports various configurations through command-line flags. These flags allow you to customize certain behaviors and settings without modifying the code.

Available Flags

• window-size: Sets the size of the moving window in seconds. This is the time frame for counting requests. Default is 60 seconds.

  Usage: -window-size=<value>

• persist-interval: Defines the interval in seconds at which the data is persisted to the file. Default is 1 second.

  Usage: -persist-interval=<value>

• data-ttl: Time-to-live for data in seconds. This is the duration after which the data is considered outdated and is removed. Default is 60 seconds.

  Usage: -data-ttl=<value>

• storage-path: Specifies the path to the storage file where request counts are persisted. Default is storage/storage.json.

  Usage: -storage-path=<path>

Running the Application with Flags

You can start the application with custom configurations by passing these flags via the command line. For example:

go run main.go -window-size=120 -persist-interval=2 -data-ttl=120 -storage-path="path/to/storage.json"

In this example, the application is started with a 120-second window size, a persistence interval of 2 seconds, a data TTL of 120 seconds, and a custom storage path. You can omit any flag to use its default value.