Master Cookies in Golf with HAProxy: A Comprehensive Guide

Cookies are essential for modern web applications, allowing you to store user-specific information and preferences on their devices. This guide dives into using cookies within the Golf programming language, coupled with the powerful HAProxy load balancer. You'll learn how to set, retrieve, and manage cookies, enhancing the user experience and application functionality.

Why Use Cookies in Golf?

Cookies bring several advantages to your Golf applications:

• Personalization: Remember user names, preferences, and settings for a customized experience.
• Session Management: Maintain user sessions, keeping users logged in across multiple pages.
• Tracking: (Ethically) track user behavior and website analytics improving user experience.

Let's explore a practical example to solidify your understanding.

Simple Cookie Handling Example in Golf

Here's a breakdown of a basic Golf application ("yum") that demonstrates setting and retrieving cookies:

1. Create the Application Directory:

gg -k yum

2. Create the biscuit.golf File:

This file contains the Golf code to handle cookie interactions:

begin-handler /biscuit
  get-param action
  if-true action equal "enter-cookie"
    // Display a form to get cookie value
    @<h2>Enter your name</h2>
    @<form action="<<p-path "/biscuit">>" method="POST">
    @  <input type="hidden" name="action" value="save-cookie">
    @  <label for="cookie-value">Your name:</label><br/>
    @  <input type="text" name="cookie-value" value=""><br/>
    @  <br/>
    @  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
    @</form>
  else-if action equal "save-cookie"
    // Submittal of form: save the cookie through response to the browser
    get-param cookie_value
    get-time to cookie_expiration year 1 timezone "GMT"
    set-cookie "customer-name" = cookie_value expires cookie_expiration path "/"
    @Cookie sent to browser!
    @<hr/>
  else-if action equal "query-cookie"
    // Web request that delivers cookie value back here (to server); display it.
    get-cookie name="customer-name"
    @Customer name is <<p-web name>>
    @<hr/>
  else-if
    @Unrecognized action<hr/>
  end-if
end-handler

Code Explanation

• action=enter-cookie: Displays a form for the user to enter their name.
• action=save-cookie: Saves the entered name as a cookie named "customer-name" with a one-year expiration.
• action=query-cookie: Retrieves and displays the value of the "customer-name" cookie.

3. Compile the Golf application:

gg -q --public

This command compiles, making all request handlers publicly accessible.

Integrating Golf with HAProxy for Enhanced Performance

HAProxy acts as a reverse proxy and load balancer, improving the performance, reliability, and security of Golf applications. Here's how to configure HAProxy:

HAProxy Configuration

frontend front_server
    mode http
    bind *:90
    use_backend backend_servers if { path_reg -i ^.*\/yum\/.*$ }
    option forwardfor

    fcgi-app golf-fcgi
    log-stderr global
    docroot /var/lib/gg/yum/app
    path-info ^.+(/yum)(/.+)$

backend backend_servers
    mode http
    filter fcgi-app golf-fcgi
    use-fcgi-app golf-fcgi
    server s1 127.0.0.1:3000 proto fcgi

Key settings:

• bind *:90: HAProxy listens on port 90.
• use_backend backend_servers if { path_reg -i ^.*\/yum\/.*$ }: Routes requests to /yum/ to the Golf application.
• server s1 127.0.0.1:3000 proto fcgi: Specifies the Golf server is running on localhost:3000 using the FastCGI protocol.

Start your application server

mgrg -p 3000 yum

4. Restart HAProxy:

sudo systemctl restart haproxy

Time to Test!

1. Enter a Cookie Value: Open your browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:90/yum/biscuit/action=enter-cookie. Enter your name and submit the form.
2. Retrieve the Cookie: Navigate to http://127.0.0.1:90/yum/biscuit/action=query-cookie. You should see your name displayed, retrieved from the cookie.

Beyond HAProxy: Other Web Server Options

While this example used HAProxy, Golf applications can seamlessly integrate with other web servers like Apache and Nginx using FastCGI, providing flexibility in your deployment environment.

Level up your Golf skills!

By following this guide, you've gained practical knowledge of using cookies in Golf and integrating with HAProxy for enhanced performance and scalability. Experiment with different cookie attributes (e.g., secure, HttpOnly, and SameSite) to protect your user data from XSS and CSRF attacks. Use cookies combined with HAProxy effectively, build robust, personalized web experiences.