Network Bound HTTP #

network_bound_http is a federated Flutter plugin that allows performing HTTP GET and POST requests using a specific network interface, such as Wi-Fi, cellular, or the default network.

This is particularly useful in advanced scenarios like:

• Custom routing between Wi-Fi and cellular networks.
• Accessing a local Wi-Fi network without internet while simultaneously using cellular data for internet access on Android devices.

⚠️ Currently, the plugin supports Android only, as iOS and Windows automatically switch to a network with internet access when Wi-Fi has no connectivity.

Key Features #

• Network selection for requests: Wi-Fi, cellular, or default.
• Direct download to file: Writes the response body directly to a file and provides a progress stream.
• In-memory response: Retrieves the full response content in memory without saving to a file.
• Progress tracking: Stream the download progress in bytes and access content length if available.

Installation #

Add the dependency to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  network_bound_http: ^1.0.0

Import the package in your Dart file:

import 'package:network_bound_http/network_bound_http.dart';

Usage #

1. Downloading directly to a filegit add #

import 'dart:io';
import 'package:network_bound_http/network_bound_http.dart';

final client = NetworkBoundClient();
final outputFile = File('/path/to/output.file');

try {
  final res = await client.getToFile(
    outputFile: outputFile,
    uri: 'https://example.com/file',
    network: NetworkType.wifi, // NetworkType.cellular, NetworkType.default
  );

  // Listen to download progress
  res.progressStream.listen(
    (progress) {
      print('Downloaded: ${progress.downloaded} bytes');
    },
    onDone: () async {
      print('Download complete');
      print(await outputFile.readAsString());
      await outputFile.delete();
    },
    onError: (error) async {
      print('Download failed: $error');
      if (await outputFile.exists()) await outputFile.delete();
    },
  );
} catch (e) {
  print('Request failed: $e');
}

2. GET request in memory #

final client = NetworkBoundClient();

try {
  final res = await client.get(
    uri: 'https://example.com/data',
    network: NetworkType.cellular,
  );

  print('Status: ${res.statusCode}');
  print('Response body: ${utf8.decode(res.body)}');
} catch (e) {
  print('Request failed: $e');
}

Notes #

• If the selected network is not available (for example, requesting cellular network while cellular data is turned off by the OS), the request will wait for a defined interval (connectionTimeout) and then throw a TimeoutException.

• If the request is sent to a network that is active but cannot reach the internet (for example, a Wi-Fi network without internet access), a SocketException will be thrown.

• The progress stream is only available when downloading to a file.