[3.14] gh-142176: Read/write CGI data using worker threads

This reads/writes data as available, making the CGI application responsible for managing any timeouts when receiving data from clients. Data is read in chunks of bounded size, and passed on immediately (except stderr, which is combined into a single message as before). This does need 3 threads. (As does process.communicate.)
python · encukou · Dec 2, 2025 · Dec 2, 2025 · Dec 2, 2025 · Dec 2, 2025
commit a7730181f001877a0734599cf3431de6c2a328d4
diff --git a/Lib/http/server.py b/Lib/http/server.py
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@
 import socket
 import socketserver
 import sys
+import threading
 import time
 import urllib.parse
 
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@
 
 # Data larger than this will be read in chunks, to prevent extreme
 # overallocation.
-_MIN_READ_BUF_SIZE = 1 << 20
+_READ_BUF_SIZE = 1 << 20
 
 class HTTPServer(socketserver.TCPServer):
 
@@ -1287,30 +1288,62 @@ def run_cgi(self):
                                  stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
                                  env = env
                                  )
+            def finish_request():
+                # throw away additional data [see bug #427345, gh-34546]
+                while select.select([self.rfile._sock], [], [], 0)[0]:
+                    if not self.rfile._sock.recv(1):
+                        break
             if self.command.lower() == "post" and nbytes > 0:
-                cursize = 0
-                data = self.rfile.read(min(nbytes, _MIN_READ_BUF_SIZE))
-                while (len(data) < nbytes and len(data) != cursize and
-                       select.select([self.rfile._sock], [], [], 0)[0]):
-                    cursize = len(data)
-                    # This is a geometric increase in read size (never more
-                    # than doubling our the current length of data per loop
-                    # iteration).
-                    delta = min(cursize, nbytes - cursize)
-                    data += self.rfile.read(delta)
+                def _in_task():
+                    """Pipe the input into the process stdin"""
+                    bytes_left = nbytes
+                    # We need to wait until either there's new data in rfile,
+                    # or the process has exited.
+                    # This spins (with short sleeps) polling for process exit.
+                    TIMEOUT = 0.1
+                    while (
+                        bytes_left
+                        and not p.returncode
+                        and select.select([self.rfile._sock], [], [], TIMEOUT)[0]
+                    ):
+                        data = self.rfile.read(min(bytes_left, _READ_BUF_SIZE))
+                        if not data:
+                            break
+                        bytes_left -= len(data)
+                        p.stdin.write(data)
+                    finish_request()
+                    try:
+                        p.stdin.close()
+                    except OSError:
+                        # already closed
+                        pass
+                request_relay_thread = threading.Thread(target=_in_task)
+                request_relay_thread.start()
             else:
                 data = None
-            # throw away additional data [see bug #427345]
-            while select.select([self.rfile._sock], [], [], 0)[0]:
-                if not self.rfile._sock.recv(1):
-                    break
-            stdout, stderr = p.communicate(data)
-            self.wfile.write(stdout)
-            if stderr:
-                self.log_error('%s', stderr)
-            p.stderr.close()
+                finish_request()
+                request_relay_thread = None
+            def _out_task():
+                """Pipe the process's stdout into the socket"""
+                while data := p.stdout.read(_READ_BUF_SIZE):
+                    self.wfile.write(data)
+            response_relay_thread = threading.Thread(target=_out_task)
+            response_relay_thread.start()
+            stderr_chunks = []
+            def _err_task():
+                """Collect all of stderr, to log as single message"""
+                while data := p.stderr.read(_READ_BUF_SIZE):
+                     stderr_chunks.append(data)
+            error_log_thread = threading.Thread(target=_err_task)
+            error_log_thread.start()
+            status = p.wait()
+            response_relay_thread.join()
             p.stdout.close()
-            status = p.returncode
+            error_log_thread.join()
+            self.log_error('%s', b''.join(stderr_chunks))
+            p.stderr.close()
+            if request_relay_thread:
+                request_relay_thread.join()
             if status:
                 self.log_error("CGI script exit status %#x", status)
             else: