Server Project – Key-Value Store with TTL and List Support

Overview

A fast, minimal, and extensible key-value store written in C++ for UNIX-based systems. Built with low-level control in mind, it uses custom non-blocking sockets and an efficient hashtable for performance. The store supports multiple types, including ordered list types using red-black trees, and introduces TTL (Time-To-Live) support for expirable keys. There are no external dependencies.

The architecture is designed for simplicity and speed, focusing on deep control of memory, sockets, file I/O and multi-threading.

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Features

• Low-level non-blocking socket server using poll, bind, and setsockopt
• Custom non-blocking event loop, no threads or callbacks
• Strong type system: int64_t, double, std::string, and their list counterparts
• Ordered list types (list<int>, list<double>, list<string>) implemented using red-black trees for efficient O(log n) operations
• TTL (Time-To-Live) support for scalar and list values
• Optional persistence with binary dump/load support
• Log file support (enabled by default)
• Python script for load testing
• Built with CMake for easy build setup
• Clean codebase separation (client, server, shared logic)
• Producer-Consumer Pattern for logging using Semaphores

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Client Communication Format

The client sends requests as a sequence of strings.

Format:

[n] [len1][str1] [len2][str2] ... [lenN][strN]

Where:

• n is the number of strings.
• Each string is prefixed with its length.

This format is simple to parse and avoids complex serialization logic.

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Default Configuration

The server is launched via command-line arguments.

Default values:

• Port: 3000
• Persistence: 1 (enabled)
• Log Enabled: 1 (enabled)
• Data file: data/storage.dat
• Log file: logs/operations.log

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Project Structure

project_root/
├── client/             # Client application (client.cpp)
├── include/            # Server headers
├── script/             # Python load testing script
│   └── main.py
├── shared/             # Shared code between client and server
├── src/                # Core server source code
├── CMakeLists.txt      # CMake build script
└── .gitignore          # Git ignore file

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Build and Run

Supported Platforms: UNIX (Linux/macOS). Windows is not supported.

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/HusseinSerag/your-repo.git
cd your-repo

Build with CMake

mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make

Run Server

./server_exec               # Uses default configuration
# Or manually:
./server_exec <port> <persistence> <data_file> <log_file> <log_enabled>

# Example:
./server_exec --port=3000 --persistence=1 --data_file=data/storage.dat --log_file=logs/operations.log --log_enabled=1

Run Client

./client

Run Load Test

cd script
python3 main.py

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Error Handling

• Malformed or invalid operations result in connection termination.
• Division by zero and similar invalid operations raise exceptions.
• The log file records all operations and results (if logging is enabled).
• TTL keys are automatically purged after expiration.

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Load Testing

The script/main.py simulates multiple clients performing rapid operations to benchmark the server. On a local test, the server handled 19,000 SET operations per second.

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❤️ Author

Built with care by HusseinSerag. The project emphasizes clean, low-level design, and extensibility—adding new types or extending functionality is straightforward.

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🤝 Contributing

Feel free to fork and submit a PR. Suggestions, issues, and improvements are always welcome.

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📄 License

MIT License.