NetworkStream Class

Declaring Type: System.Net
Namespace: System.Net
Assembly: System (in System.dll)

Provides a stream for sending and receiving data over a network stream. This class is used to send and receive data over a network connection.

Syntax

public sealed class NetworkStream : System.IO.Stream

Inheritance

System.Object
System.IO.Stream
System.Net.NetworkStream

Remarks

Use the NetworkStream class to send and receive data over a network connection. You typically obtain a NetworkStream object from a Socket or an TcpClient object. The stream can be read from and written to, and it supports blocking and non-blocking operations.

When you are finished with the NetworkStream, you should close it to release system resources. You can do this by calling the Close method or the Dispose method.

Important Security Note: Do not use NetworkStream to transmit sensitive information over an unsecured network. For secure communication, use SslStream.

Constructors

NetworkStream(System.Net.Sockets.Socket socket): Initializes a new instance of the NetworkStream class for the specified Socket.
NetworkStream(System.Net.Sockets.Socket socket, bool ownsSocket): Initializes a new instance of the NetworkStream class for the specified Socket and a value that indicates whether the stream owns the socket.
NetworkStream(System.Net.Sockets.Socket socket, System.IO.FileAccess access): Initializes a new instance of the NetworkStream class for the specified Socket and FileAccess value.
NetworkStream(System.Net.Sockets.Socket socket, System.IO.FileAccess access, bool ownsSocket): Initializes a new instance of the NetworkStream class for the specified Socket, FileAccess value, and a value that indicates whether the stream owns the socket.

Methods

The NetworkStream class inherits many methods from System.IO.Stream, including:

Read(...): Reads a sequence of bytes from the current stream and advances the position within the stream by the number of bytes read.
Write(...): Writes a sequence of bytes to the current stream and advances the position within the stream by the number of bytes written.
Flush(): Clears all buffers for this stream and causes any buffered data to be written to the underlying device.
Close(): Closes the current stream and releases any resources associated with the current stream.

Properties

The NetworkStream class inherits properties from System.IO.Stream, such as:

CanRead: Gets a value indicating whether the stream supports reading.
CanWrite: Gets a value indicating whether the stream supports writing.
CanSeek: Gets a value indicating whether the stream supports seeking. (Typically false for NetworkStream).

Example

The following example demonstrates how to create a simple client that connects to a server, sends a message, and receives a response using NetworkStream.

using System;
using System.Net;
using System.Net.Sockets;
using System.Text;

public class NetworkStreamClient
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        string serverIP = "127.0.0.1";
        int serverPort = 13000;
        string messageToSend = "Hello, Server!";

        try
        {
            // Create a TCP client and connect to the server
            TcpClient client = new TcpClient(serverIP, serverPort);
            Console.WriteLine("Connected to server.");

            // Get the NetworkStream to send and receive data
            NetworkStream stream = client.GetStream();

            // Convert message to byte array and send
            byte[] dataToSend = Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(messageToSend);
            stream.Write(dataToSend, 0, dataToSend.Length);
            Console.WriteLine("Sent: " + messageToSend);

            // Receive response from server
            byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
            int bytesRead = stream.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
            string responseData = Encoding.ASCII.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesRead);
            Console.WriteLine("Received: " + responseData);

            // Close the stream and client
            stream.Close();
            client.Close();
            Console.WriteLine("Connection closed.");
        }
        catch (SocketException socketEx)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Socket exception: {0}", socketEx);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("General exception: {0}", ex);
        }
    }
}

This example assumes a server is running and listening on the specified IP address and port. The server should be designed to echo back any data it receives.

System.Net.Security

Other Namespaces