Beast is a header-only C++ library that provides low-level HTTP, WebSocket, and networking protocol building blocks on top of Boost.Asio. It is designed for developers who need to build interoperable clients, servers, proxies, gateways, or custom protocol components rather than using a high-level web framework. Beast follows Boost.Asio’s asynchronous model, so it fits naturally into event-driven C++ networking applications. Its algorithms are role-agnostic, meaning the same core abstractions can be used to build client-side and server-side systems. The library provides protocol vocabulary types, parsers, serializers, examples, and reusable patterns for robust network programming. It is especially useful for C++ developers who want fine-grained control over HTTP and WebSocket behavior while staying within the Boost ecosystem.
Features
- Header-only C++ networking library
- HTTP/1 protocol support
- WebSocket protocol support
- Boost.Asio integration
- Client and server building blocks
- Parser and serializer utilities