Hi, I can't get to deserialize objects while sending them over a socket while using BinaryFormatter

that's the code for a server which receives data from client:

C#
using System.Net;
using System.Net.Sockets;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;
using Data;
using System.Text;

var addr= await Dns.GetHostAddressesAsync("localhost");
IPEndPoint ipEndPoint = new IPEndPoint(addr[0], 2156);
using Socket serverSocket = new Socket(ipEndPoint.AddressFamily, SocketType.Stream, ProtocolType.Tcp);
serverSocket.Bind(ipEndPoint);
serverSocket.Listen(100);
Socket socket = await serverSocket.AcceptAsync();

    using (var networkStream = new NetworkStream(socket))
    {
        int byt=0;
        while (true)
        {
            
                BinaryFormatter binaryFormatter = new BinaryFormatter();
#pragma warning disable SYSLIB0011
                DataPacket dataPacket= (DataPacket)binaryFormatter.Deserialize(networkStream);
                Console.WriteLine(dataPacket.message);
#pragma warning restore SYSLIB0011
                break;
        }
    }

and this is the code for a client which sends data

C#
using System;
using System.Net;
using System.Net.Sockets;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;
using Data;
namespace SocketFileTransfer
{
    internal class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
           Connect();
        }

        [Obsolete("Obsolete")]
        public static async void Connect()
        {
            IPEndPoint ipEndPoint = new IPEndPoint(Dns.GetHostAddresses("localhost")[0], 2156);
            using Socket client = new(
                ipEndPoint.AddressFamily, 
                SocketType.Stream, 
                ProtocolType.Tcp);
            await client.ConnectAsync(ipEndPoint);
            using (var myStream = new NetworkStream(client)) {
                BinaryFormatter binaryFormatter = new BinaryFormatter();
                DataPacket dataPacket = new DataPacket(0, "yeeee");
                binaryFormatter.Serialize(myStream,dataPacket);
            }
            

            client.Shutdown(SocketShutdown.Both);
        }
    }
}

also a data class:

C#
namespace Data;
[Serializable]
public class DataPacket
{
    public int id;
    public string message;

    public DataPacket(int id, string message)
    {
        this.id = id;
        this.message = message;
    }
}

I get:

/home/xenu/RiderProjects/SocketFileTransfer/ServerSocketFileTransfer/bin/Debug/net7.0/ServerSocketFileTransfer
Unhandled exception. System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationException: End of Stream encountered before parsing was completed.
   at System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryParser.Run()
   at System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.ObjectReader.Deserialize(BinaryParser serParser)
   at System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryFormatter.Deserialize(Stream serializationStream)
   at Program.<Main>$(String[] args) in /home/xenu/RiderProjects/SocketFileTransfer/ServerSocketFileTransfer/Program.cs:line 25
   at Program.<Main>(String[] args)

Just note, BinaryFormatter is insecure and cannot be made secure.

Prefer other APIs and/or libraries, such as MessagePack

one question

why sockets are so godamn ducked up

whyyyyyyyy …

Huh?

idk

I just spent like a good 3h trying to make this "thing" work

Because networking is complicated

I know, I did this kind of stuff in java

hard to understand as a beginner.
Practice makes perfect.

but back then … it just clicked

Sockets is pretty much the same for all languages

Well, basics at least.

although now… its like wtf is going on

ye

Whenever you send a packet, include the length of the packet with it

as well as the type of the packet

Packet Type | Packet Length | Payload
1. Allocate the bytes required for header.
2. Receive bytes equal to header size (which contains the header IE; Type and Length)
3. After that receive bytes equal to the size of packet length.
4. Check packet type, deserialize based on the type of packet.

alrighty, thanks

Just note, also validate everything received.
Such as if you receive an invalid packet, it will not try and deserialize it.

Usually you just kick the user if they send an invalid packet

oke doke

thanks man

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