What is Cowboy?
Cowboy stands out as the leading server for modern web applications, boasting support for WebSocket, HTTP/2, and REST protocols. This efficient and lightweight HTTP server, constructed on Erlang/OTP, aims to provide a complete web stack. Its features include support for HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, WebSocket, server-sent events, and REST through Webmachine. Developers benefit from built-in capabilities for introspection and tracing, enabling real-time monitoring of system behavior, while its modular design facilitates easy integration of supplementary instrumentation. Renowned for its superior quality, Cowboy has a small codebase that guarantees excellent performance regarding both latency and memory usage, making it ideal for inclusion in other applications. The code adheres to clean Erlang conventions and is subjected to thorough testing to ensure full compliance with the Dialyzer. Additionally, comprehensive documentation is provided, which includes a function reference, user guide, and numerous tutorials, making it user-friendly. Although having a background in the HTTP protocol is advantageous, it is not essential, as the guide thoroughly explains the necessary concepts. Consequently, Cowboy remains a dependable option for developers in search of a solid server solution, and its continued evolution promises to meet the demands of future web technologies.