> Parsers that work on simple input are easy. Parsers that get all the edge case... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

tomjakubowski on Aug 6, 2015 | parent | context | favorite | on: Fuzzing a DNS parser written in Go

> Parsers that work on simple input are easy. Parsers that get all the edge cases and diabolical input right are stupidly difficult.

Not to mention parsers which work on a vague and totally unspecified grammar - like "real world" HTTP and HTML parsers, which have to account for misbehaving clients and servers or malformed web pages (is this what you meant by 'diabolical input'?).

haberman on Aug 6, 2015 [–]

> is this what you meant by 'diabolical input'

Not exactly what I meant, but that's a good point too!

By diabolical input, I mean things specifically designed to stress the parser, like ("{" * 100000) in JSON.

Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact