basic TCP echo server with rebar, reltool, ranch and lager

create project skeleton:

mkdir eco
cd eco
wget https://github.com/rebar/rebar/wiki/rebar
chmod u+x rebar
./rebar create-app appid=eco

let's add some dependencies, ranch to accept tcp connections and lager for logging, for that open rebar.config with your text editor and enter this:

{deps, [
    {lager, "2.1.0", {git, "https://github.com/basho/lager", {tag, "2.1.0"}}},
    {ranch, "1.1.0", {git, "https://github.com/ninenines/ranch", {tag, "1.1.0"}}}
]}.

{erl_opts, [debug_info, {parse_transform, lager_transform}]}.

now let's try compiling it:

./rebar get-deps
./rebar compile

we can start our app from the shell, which won't be really useful, but why not:

erl -pa ebin/ deps/*/ebin

and we run:

1> application:start(eco).
ok

now let's use ranch and lager for something, first we create a protocol implementation, open a file called eco_protocol.erl and put the following content in it:

-module(eco_protocol).
-behaviour(ranch_protocol).

-export([start_link/4]).
-export([init/4]).

start_link(Ref, Socket, Transport, Opts) ->
    Pid = spawn_link(?MODULE, init, [Ref, Socket, Transport, Opts]),
    {ok, Pid}.

init(Ref, Socket, Transport, _Opts = []) ->
    ok = ranch:accept_ack(Ref),
    loop(Socket, Transport).

loop(Socket, Transport) ->
    case Transport:recv(Socket, 0, 5000) of
        {ok, Data} ->
            lager:info("echoing ~p", [Data]),
            Transport:send(Socket, Data),
            loop(Socket, Transport);
        _ ->
            ok = Transport:close(Socket)
    end.

edit the start function in src/eco_app.erl so it looks like this:

start(_StartType, _StartArgs) ->
    {ok, _} = ranch:start_listener(eco, 1, ranch_tcp, [{port, 1883}],
                                                        eco_protocol, []),
    eco_sup:start_link().

and add the apps we need in eco.app.src by adding ranch and lager to the applications entry like this:

{applications, [
                kernel,
                stdlib,
                ranch,
                lager
               ]},

now let's compile and try again:

./rebar compile

Erlang/OTP 17 [erts-6.3] [source] [64-bit] [smp:4:4] [async-threads:10] [hipe] [kernel-poll:false]

Eshell V6.3  (abort with ^G)
1> application:start(eco).
{error,{not_started,ranch}}
2> application:start(ranch).
ok
3> application:start(eco).
{error,{not_started,lager}}
4> application:start(lager).
{error,{not_started,goldrush}}
5> application:start(goldrush).
{error,{not_started,syntax_tools}}
6> application:start(syntax_tools).
ok
7> application:start(goldrush).
{error,{not_started,compiler}}
8> application:start(compiler).
ok
9> application:start(goldrush).
ok
10> application:start(lager).
ok
11> 21:05:52.373 [info] Application lager started on node nonode@nohost
11> application:start(eco).
ok
21:06:09.335 [info] Application eco started on node nonode@nohost

now let's send some data:

telnet localhost 1883

Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
asd
asd

(I wrote the first asd, the second is the reply)

in the console you should see this log line:

21:10:05.098 [info] echoing <<"asd\r\n">>

now let's build a release so others can use our server (?):

mkdir rel
cd rel
../rebar create-node nodeid=eco

add the following two lines to rebar.config:

{sub_dirs, ["rel"]}.
{lib_dirs, ["deps"]}.

and edit rel/reltool.config, change the lib_dirs entry to this:

{lib_dirs, ["../deps"]},

add ranch and lager in the rel entry:

{rel, "eco", "1",
 [
  kernel,
  stdlib,
  sasl,
  ranch,
  lager,
  eco
 ]},

and change the app, echo entry to look like this:

{app, eco, [{mod_cond, app}, {incl_cond, include}, {lib_dir, ".."}]}

now let's try to build a release:

./rebar compile
./rebar generate

now let's start our server:

./rel/eco/bin/eco console

you should see some output like this:

Erlang/OTP 17 [erts-6.3] [source] [64-bit] [smp:4:4] [async-threads:10] [hipe] [kernel-poll:false]


=INFO REPORT==== 5-Feb-2015::22:15:22 ===
inet_parse:"/etc/resolv.conf":4: erroneous line, SKIPPED
21:15:22.393 [info] Application lager started on node 'eco@127.0.0.1'
21:15:22.394 [info] Application eco started on node 'eco@127.0.0.1'
Eshell V6.3  (abort with ^G)
(eco@127.0.0.1)1>

now let's telnet again:

telnet localhost 1883

Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
lala!
lala!

on the console again you should see some log like this:

21:16:01.540 [info] echoing <<"lala!\r\n">>

and that's it, now evolve your echo server into an actual server :)