How to convert http::response<http::string_body>::base() to std::string?

Question

Reference: base basic_fields

base() : Returns the header portion of the message.
    
http::response<http::string_body> res_;
std::cout << "Type of res_.base() : " << typeid(res_.base()).name() << std::endl;
// Type of res_.base() : N5boost5beast4http6headerILb0ENS1_12basic_fieldsISaIcEEEEE

Question> I would like to know how to convert res_::base() to std::string. In other words, I need to find a way to convert http::basic_fields to std::string if my understanding is correct.

Thank you

Answer 1

You can stream it, or let lexical_cast do that for you:

#include <boost/beast.hpp>
#include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
#include <iostream>
namespace net = boost::asio;
namespace beast = boost::beast;
namespace http = beast::http;
using net::ip::tcp;

int main() {
    net::io_context io;
    tcp::socket conn(io);
    connect(conn, tcp::resolver{io}.resolve("httpbin.org", "http"));

    {
        http::request<http::empty_body> req{http::verb::get, "/get", 11};
        req.set(http::field::host, "httpbin.org");
        http::write(conn, req);
    }

    {
        http::response<http::string_body> resp;
        beast::flat_buffer buf;
        http::read(conn, buf, resp);

        std::string const strHeaders =
            boost::lexical_cast<std::string>(resp.base());

        std::cout << "Directly:   " << resp.base() << std::endl;
        std::cout << "strHeaders: " << strHeaders  << std::endl;
    }
}

Prints the same both ways:

Directly:   HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2022 22:19:17 GMT
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 199
Connection: keep-alive
Server: gunicorn/19.9.0
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true


strHeaders: HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2022 22:19:17 GMT
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 199
Connection: keep-alive
Server: gunicorn/19.9.0
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true