NetworkStream Class

Definition

Namespace:

System.Net.Sockets

Assembly:

System.Net.Sockets.dll

Source:

NetworkStream.cs

Provides the underlying stream of data for network access.

public ref class NetworkStream : System::IO::Stream

public class NetworkStream : System.IO.Stream

type NetworkStream = class
    inherit Stream

Public Class NetworkStream
Inherits Stream

Inheritance

Object

MarshalByRefObject

Stream

NetworkStream

Remarks

The NetworkStream class provides methods for sending and receiving data over Stream sockets in blocking mode. For more information about blocking versus nonblocking Sockets, see Using an Asynchronous Client Socket. You can use the NetworkStream class for both synchronous and asynchronous data transfer. For more information about synchronous and asynchronous communication, see Sockets.

To create a NetworkStream, you must provide a connected Socket. You can also specify what FileAccess permission the NetworkStream has over the provided Socket. By default, closing the NetworkStream does not close the provided Socket. If you want the NetworkStream to have permission to close the provided Socket, you must specify true for the value of the ownsSocket parameter.

Use the Write and Read methods for simple single threaded synchronous blocking I/O. If you want to process your I/O asynchronously, consider using the Task or ValueTask-based methods ReadAsync and WriteAsync.

The NetworkStream does not support random access to the network data stream. The value of the CanSeek property, which indicates whether the stream supports seeking, is always false; reading the Position property, reading the Length property, or calling the Seek method will throw a NotSupportedException.

Read and write operations can be performed simultaneously on an instance of the NetworkStream class without the need for synchronization. As long as there is one unique thread for the write operations and one unique thread for the read operations, there will be no cross-interference between read and write threads and no synchronization is required.

Constructors

NetworkStream(Socket)	Creates a new instance of the NetworkStream class for the specified Socket.
NetworkStream(Socket, Boolean)	Initializes a new instance of the NetworkStream class for the specified Socket with the specified Socket ownership.
NetworkStream(Socket, FileAccess)	Creates a new instance of the NetworkStream class for the specified Socket with the specified access rights.
NetworkStream(Socket, FileAccess, Boolean)	Creates a new instance of the NetworkStream class for the specified Socket with the specified access rights and the specified Socket ownership.

Properties

CanRead	Gets a value that indicates whether the NetworkStream supports reading.
CanSeek	Gets a value that indicates whether the stream supports seeking. This property is not currently supported. This property always returns false.
CanTimeout	Indicates whether timeout properties are usable for NetworkStream.
CanWrite	Gets a value that indicates whether the NetworkStream supports writing.
DataAvailable	Gets a value that indicates whether data is available on the NetworkStream to be immediately read.
Length	Gets the length of the data available on the stream. This property is not currently supported and always throws a NotSupportedException.
Position	Gets or sets the current position in the stream. This property is not currently supported and always throws a NotSupportedException.
Readable	Gets or sets a value that indicates whether the NetworkStream can be read.
ReadTimeout	Gets or sets the amount of time that a read operation blocks waiting for data.
Socket	Gets the underlying Socket.
Writeable	Gets a value that indicates whether the NetworkStream is writable.
WriteTimeout	Gets or sets the amount of time that a write operation blocks waiting for data.

Methods

BeginRead(Byte[], Int32, Int32, AsyncCallback, Object)	Begins an asynchronous read from the NetworkStream.
BeginWrite(Byte[], Int32, Int32, AsyncCallback, Object)	Begins an asynchronous write to a stream.
Close()	Closes the current stream and releases any resources (such as sockets and file handles) associated with the current stream. Instead of calling this method, ensure that the stream is properly disposed. (Inherited from Stream)
Close(Int32)	Closes the NetworkStream after waiting the specified time to allow data to be sent.
Close(TimeSpan)	Closes the NetworkStream after waiting the specified amount of time to allow data to be sent.
CopyTo(Stream)	Reads the bytes from the current stream and writes them to another stream. Both streams positions are advanced by the number of bytes copied. (Inherited from Stream)
CopyTo(Stream, Int32)	Reads the bytes from the current stream and writes them to another stream, using a specified buffer size. Both streams positions are advanced by the number of bytes copied. (Inherited from Stream)
CopyToAsync(Stream)	Asynchronously reads the bytes from the current stream and writes them to another stream. Both streams positions are advanced by the number of bytes copied. (Inherited from Stream)
CopyToAsync(Stream, CancellationToken)	Asynchronously reads the bytes from the current stream and writes them to another stream, using a specified cancellation token. Both streams positions are advanced by the number of bytes copied. (Inherited from Stream)
CopyToAsync(Stream, Int32)	Asynchronously reads the bytes from the current stream and writes them to another stream, using a specified buffer size. Both streams positions are advanced by the number of bytes copied. (Inherited from Stream)
CopyToAsync(Stream, Int32, CancellationToken)	Asynchronously reads the bytes from the current stream and writes them to another stream, using a specified buffer size and cancellation token. Both streams positions are advanced by the number of bytes copied. (Inherited from Stream)
CreateObjRef(Type)	Creates an object that contains all the relevant information required to generate a proxy used to communicate with a remote object. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
CreateWaitHandle()	Obsolete. Allocates a WaitHandle object. (Inherited from Stream)
Dispose()	Releases all resources used by the Stream. (Inherited from Stream)
Dispose(Boolean)	Releases the unmanaged resources used by the NetworkStream and optionally releases the managed resources.
DisposeAsync()	Asynchronously releases the unmanaged resources used by the Stream. (Inherited from Stream)
EndRead(IAsyncResult)	Handles the end of an asynchronous read.
EndWrite(IAsyncResult)	Handles the end of an asynchronous write.
Equals(Object)	Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object. (Inherited from Object)
Finalize()	Releases all resources used by the NetworkStream.
Flush()	Flushes data from the stream. This method is reserved for future use.
FlushAsync()	Asynchronously clears all buffers for this stream and causes any buffered data to be written to the underlying device. (Inherited from Stream)
FlushAsync(CancellationToken)	Flushes data from the stream as an asynchronous operation.
GetHashCode()	Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object)
GetLifetimeService()	Obsolete. Retrieves the current lifetime service object that controls the lifetime policy for this instance. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object)
InitializeLifetimeService()	Obsolete. Obtains a lifetime service object to control the lifetime policy for this instance. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseClone(Boolean)	Creates a shallow copy of the current MarshalByRefObject object. (Inherited from MarshalByRefObject)
ObjectInvariant()	Obsolete. Provides support for a Contract. (Inherited from Stream)
Read(Byte[], Int32, Int32)	Reads data from the NetworkStream and stores it to a byte array.
Read(Span<Byte>)	Reads data from the NetworkStream and stores it to a span of bytes in memory.
ReadAsync(Byte[], Int32, Int32)	Asynchronously reads a sequence of bytes from the current stream and advances the position within the stream by the number of bytes read. (Inherited from Stream)
ReadAsync(Byte[], Int32, Int32, CancellationToken)	Reads data from the NetworkStream and stores it to a specified range of a byte array as an asynchronous operation.
ReadAsync(Memory<Byte>, CancellationToken)	Reads data from the NetworkStream and stores it in a byte memory range as an asynchronous operation.
ReadAtLeast(Span<Byte>, Int32, Boolean)	Reads at least a minimum number of bytes from the current stream and advances the position within the stream by the number of bytes read. (Inherited from Stream)
ReadAtLeastAsync(Memory<Byte>, Int32, Boolean, CancellationToken)	Asynchronously reads at least a minimum number of bytes from the current stream, advances the position within the stream by the number of bytes read, and monitors cancellation requests. (Inherited from Stream)
ReadByte()	Reads a byte from the NetworkStream and advances the position within the stream by one byte, or returns -1 if at the end of the stream.
ReadExactly(Byte[], Int32, Int32)	Reads count number of bytes from the current stream and advances the position within the stream. (Inherited from Stream)
ReadExactly(Span<Byte>)	Reads bytes from the current stream and advances the position within the stream until the buffer is filled. (Inherited from Stream)
ReadExactlyAsync(Byte[], Int32, Int32, CancellationToken)	Asynchronously reads count number of bytes from the current stream, advances the position within the stream, and monitors cancellation requests. (Inherited from Stream)
ReadExactlyAsync(Memory<Byte>, CancellationToken)	Asynchronously reads bytes from the current stream, advances the position within the stream until the buffer is filled, and monitors cancellation requests. (Inherited from Stream)
Seek(Int64, SeekOrigin)	Sets the current position of the stream to the given value. This method is not currently supported and always throws a NotSupportedException.
SetLength(Int64)	Sets the length of the stream. This method always throws a NotSupportedException.
ToString()	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object)
Write(Byte[], Int32, Int32)	Writes data to the NetworkStream from a specified range of a byte array.
Write(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>)	Writes data to the NetworkStream from a read-only byte span.
WriteAsync(Byte[], Int32, Int32)	Asynchronously writes a sequence of bytes to the current stream and advances the current position within this stream by the number of bytes written. (Inherited from Stream)
WriteAsync(Byte[], Int32, Int32, CancellationToken)	Writes data to the NetworkStream from the specified range of a byte array as an asynchronous operation.
WriteAsync(ReadOnlyMemory<Byte>, CancellationToken)	Writes data to the NetworkStream from a read-only memory byte memory range as an asynchronous operation.
WriteByte(Byte)	Writes a byte to the current position in the NetworkStream and advances the position within the stream by one byte.

Extension Methods

CopyToAsync(Stream, PipeWriter, CancellationToken)	Asynchronously reads the bytes from the Stream and writes them to the specified PipeWriter, using a cancellation token.
ConfigureAwait(IAsyncDisposable, Boolean)	Configures how awaits on the tasks returned from an async disposable will be performed.

See also

• TcpClient