HTTP Transfers

Getting Started

GitHub
Downloads

Operating Systems

Android

iOS

tvOS

Windows

macOS

Linux

Web

Shiny HTTP Transfers enables background uploads and downloads that continue even when your app is suspended. On iOS, transfers are managed by the OS via NSURLSession background sessions and resume after app restarts. On Android, Windows, Linux, macOS, and plain .NET hosts a managed HttpClient loop drives transfers and supports resumable downloads via HTTP Range requests (on Android the loop runs inside a foreground service). On Blazor WebAssembly, transfers are queued to IndexedDB and drained by a Service Worker via the Background Sync API.

Caution

HTTP Transfers do not work on the iOS Simulator. You must test on a real device.

Features

• Background uploads and downloads
• Multipart and raw upload support
• Progress tracking with speed and ETA
• Automatic resume after app restart
• Resumable downloads on Android, Windows, Linux, macOS, and plain .NET via HTTP Range requests
• Resumable uploads via the tus protocol on iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, macOS, and plain .NET
• Metered/unmetered network control
• Managed transfer list for UI binding
• Cross-platform: iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, macOS, Blazor WebAssembly

Platform Notes

Platform	Package	Backing
iOS	Shiny.Net.Http	NSURLSession background session
tvOS	Shiny.Net.Http	NSURLSession background session — same as iOS
Android	Shiny.Net.Http	Foreground service hosting a managed HttpClient + IConnectivity loop; resumable downloads via HTTP Range
Windows	Shiny.Net.Http	Managed HttpClient + IConnectivity loop; resumable downloads via HTTP Range
Linux / macOS / Plain .NET	Shiny.Net.Http	Managed HttpClient + IConnectivity loop; resumable downloads via HTTP Range
Blazor WebAssembly	Shiny.Net.Http	Service Worker Background Sync + IndexedDB; downloads not resumable

tvOS storage

tvOS uses the same background NSURLSession iOS does, so transfers continue while the app is suspended. What differs is storage: an Apple TV has no user-visible file system and a small, evictable app container. Write transfer output to the cache directory, treat it as something the OS may reclaim between launches, and do not design around a download surviving indefinitely.

Blazor WebAssembly limitations

• No resumable downloads — the Service Worker fetch() returns a whole Blob, and partial-body appending isn’t supported.
• Upload bodies are base64-bridged through JS interop and persisted as IndexedDB Blobs. Suitable for small/medium files; very large uploads should wait for a future streaming path.
• Background Sync support is Chromium-only (no Firefox, no Safari). On unsupported browsers the queue still drains while the tab is foreground, then sits in IndexedDB until the user returns.
• Use GetDownloadBytes(identifier) on the Blazor HttpTransferManager to read a completed download’s bytes back from IndexedDB.

Setup

MAUIBlazor

Changed files

• MyApp/
  • ▸Delegates
    • MyHttpTransferDelegate.cs
  • ▸Platforms
    • ▸Android
      • AndroidManifest.xml
  • MauiProgram.cs
  • MyApp.csproj

Delegates/MyHttpTransferDelegate.cs

MyHttpTransferDelegate.csCopy

1using System.Threading.Tasks;2using Shiny.Net.Http;3​4namespace MyApp.Delegates;5​6public partial class MyHttpTransferDelegate : IHttpTransferDelegate7{8    public MyHttpTransferDelegate() 9    {10    }11​12    public Task OnCompleted(HttpTransferRequest request)13    {14        return Task.CompletedTask;15    }16​17    public Task OnError(HttpTransferRequest request, int statusCode, Exception ex)18    {19        return Task.CompletedTask;20    }21}22​23#if ANDROID24public partial class MyHttpTransferDelegate : IAndroidForegroundServiceDelegate25{26    public void Configure(AndroidX.Core.App.NotificationCompat.Builder builder)27    {28        builder29            .SetContentTitle("Your App")30            .SetContentText("Sending Transfers in the background");31    }32}33#endif

Background Delegate

Implement IHttpTransferDelegate to handle transfer completion and errors in the background.

public partial class MyTransferDelegate : IHttpTransferDelegate
{
    readonly ILogger<MyTransferDelegate> logger;

    public MyTransferDelegate(ILogger<MyTransferDelegate> logger)
    {
        this.logger = logger;
    }

    public Task OnCompleted(HttpTransferRequest request)
    {
        this.logger.LogInformation("Transfer completed: {Id}", request.Identifier);
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }

    public Task OnError(HttpTransferRequest request, int statusCode, Exception ex)
    {
        this.logger.LogError(ex, "Transfer failed: {Id}, Status: {Status}", request.Identifier, statusCode);
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }
}

Android Foreground Service

On Android, background transfers run as a foreground service. Customize the notification:

#if ANDROID
public partial class MyTransferDelegate : IAndroidForegroundServiceDelegate
{
    public void Configure(AndroidX.Core.App.NotificationCompat.Builder builder)
    {
        builder
            .SetContentTitle("My App")
            .SetContentText("Transferring files...")
            .SetSmallIcon(Resource.Mipmap.appicon);
    }
}
#endif

Note

You can also extend HttpTransferDelegate base class which combines IHttpTransferDelegate and IAndroidForegroundServiceDelegate with retry support.

Registration

// iOS / Android / Windows (platform-aware: native sessions where available)
services.AddHttpTransfers<MyTransferDelegate>();

// Linux / macOS / plain .NET (managed HttpClient loop)
services.AddHttpClientTransfers<MyTransferDelegate>();

// Blazor WebAssembly (same Shiny.Net.Http package - net10.0 build)
services.AddBlazorHttpTransfers<MyTransferDelegate>(opts =>
{
    // Optional — defaults to the bundled Shiny service worker
    opts.ServiceWorkerPath = "./_content/Shiny.Net.Http/http-transfer-sw.js";
});

On Blazor, ship the bundled SW at the configured path, or import its handlers from your own service worker:

my-sw.js

importScripts('./_content/Shiny.Net.Http/http-transfer-sw.js');

AI Coding Assistant

Claude CodeGitHub Copilot

Step 1 — Add the marketplace:

claude plugin marketplace add shinyorg/skills

Step 2 — Install the plugin:

claude plugin install shiny@shiny

One plugin installs all 48 Shiny skills. Your agent loads only the skill relevant to what you're building, so there's no cost to having them all available.

Step 1 — Add the marketplace:

copilot plugin marketplace add https://github.com/shinyorg/skills

Step 2 — Install the plugin:

copilot plugin install shiny@shiny

One plugin installs all 48 Shiny skills. Your agent loads only the skill relevant to what you're building, so there's no cost to having them all available.

View shiny-http-transfers Skill

Samples

• MAUI Sample