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ithewei/libhv

A cross-platform C/C++ network library with an event loop plus TCP/UDP, SSL, HTTP, WebSocket, MQTT and Redis client/server support.

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What is it?

libhv is a C/C++ networking library built around an event loop with non-blocking IO, timers, idle and signal events. It sits in the same space as libevent, libev and libuv but exposes a simpler API and ships more protocols out of the box: TCP/UDP client, server and proxy; SSL/TLS via OpenSSL, GnuTLS or mbedTLS; and an optional KCP-based reliable UDP mode.

Beyond raw sockets it includes an HTTP client and server that handle HTTP/1.x, HTTP/2, HTTPS and gRPC, with a Gin-style router supporting RESTful paths, middleware, keep-alive, chunked responses and SSE. A WebSocket client/server, an MQTT client and a Redis client round out the protocol set, and the library builds on Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, BSD and Solaris using Makefile, CMake, Bazel, vcpkg or xmake.

Both C and C++ interfaces are provided. The C++ layer includes an evpp-style TcpServer/TcpClient API and a requests-style HTTP client modeled on Python's requests, so simple use cases take only a few lines. The repository also contains example programs that reimplement familiar tools such as curl, httpd, wrk, nc, nmap and kcptun.

Key features

  • 01Event loop supporting IO, timer, idle, custom and signal events.
  • 02TCP/UDP client, server and proxy, with heartbeat, reconnect and multi-thread-safe write/close.
  • 03Built-in unpacking modes: fixed length, delimiter and length field.
  • 04HTTP client and server with HTTPS, HTTP/2, gRPC, RESTful routing, middleware, chunked and SSE.
  • 05WebSocket client/server, MQTT client and Redis client.
  • 06SSL/TLS via OpenSSL, GnuTLS or mbedTLS; reliable UDP via KCP.

Use cases

  • Building a custom TCP or UDP service that needs heartbeats, reconnection and packet framing.
  • Writing an HTTP API server or reverse proxy in C/C++ without pulling in a large framework.
  • Adding WebSocket or MQTT connectivity to a C/C++ application.
  • Porting networking code across Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/ithewei/libhv.git
  2. 2

    Enter the project directory

    cd libhv
  3. 3

    Configure the build with Makefile

    ./configure
  4. 4

    Compile the project

    make

Things to know

  • Redis support is disabled by default and must be enabled explicitly at build time.

Topics

#networking#cpp#http-server#websocket#tcp#event-loop#mqtt#curl#epoll#http-client

FAQ

What is libhv?
A cross-platform C/C++ network library with an event loop plus TCP/UDP, SSL, HTTP, WebSocket, MQTT and Redis client/server support. libhv is a C/C++ networking library built around an event loop with non-blocking IO, timers, idle and signal events. It sits in the same space as libevent, libev and libuv but exposes a simpler API and ships more protocols out of the box: TCP/UDP client, server and proxy; SSL/TLS via OpenSSL, GnuTLS or mbedTLS; and an optional KCP-based reliable UDP mode.
Is libhv free to use? What license does it have?
libhv is open source under the BSD-3-Clause license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is libhv still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to libhv was on Oct 28, 2026.
What can I use libhv for?
Building a custom TCP or UDP service that needs heartbeats, reconnection and packet framing. Writing an HTTP API server or reverse proxy in C/C++ without pulling in a large framework. Adding WebSocket or MQTT connectivity to a C/C++ application. Porting networking code across Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.
How do I install libhv?
Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/ithewei/libhv.git Enter the project directory: cd libhv Configure the build with Makefile: ./configure Compile the project: make
Where can I get libhv?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/ithewei/libhv

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