CICFlowMeter API (Dockerized)

Overview

This project provides a REST API wrapper around CICFlowMeter using FastAPI and Docker.

The API accepts a PCAP file, processes it using CICFlowMeter inside a Docker container, and returns the generated CSV flow files as a ZIP archive.

This setup is designed to:

• Be easy to run
• Be reproducible using Docker
• Work with large PCAP files
• Keep the Java/Gradle logic isolated from the API layer

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How It Works (High Level)

1. Client uploads a PCAP file via API
2. PCAP is saved to /pcap inside the container
3. CICFlowMeter is executed using Gradle
4. CSV flow files are generated in /flow
5. All CSVs are zipped
6. ZIP file is returned to the client

Only one request is processed at a time.

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Project Structure

/
├── api/            # FastAPI application
├── code/           # CICFlowMeter source (cloned in Docker)
├── pcap/           # Uploaded PCAP files
├── flow/           # Generated CSV flow files
├── gradle-task     # Custom Gradle task (runcmd)
├── Dockerfile
└── README.md

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Requirements

• Docker (Docker Desktop recommended)
• No local Java, Gradle, or Python setup required

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Build the Docker Image

From the project root:

docker build -t cicflow-api .

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Run the API

docker run -it --rm -p 8000:8000 --name cicflow-api-container cicflow-api

Once running, the API will be available at:

http://localhost:8000

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API Documentation (Swagger UI)

FastAPI automatically provides interactive documentation:

http://localhost:8000/docs

Use this page to:

• Upload a PCAP file
• Test the API directly from the browser

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API Endpoint

POST /process

Description: Uploads a PCAP file, processes it, and returns flow CSV files as a ZIP.

Request:

• multipart/form-data
• Single file upload (.pcap)

Response:

• application/zip
• Contains CSV flow files

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Notes & Assumptions

• Only one API request is processed at a time
• Temporary cleanup is minimal (PCAP files are removed after processing)
• This project currently runs entirely inside a Docker container
• Designed for experimentation and research use

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Author

Aranya Dutta

thisizaro

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License

This project is provided under the MIT License.

You are free to:

• Use
• Modify
• Distribute

With attribution.

CICFlowMeter itself is licensed separately --- please refer to its original repository for details.

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Acknowledgements

• Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity --- CICFlowMeter
• FastAPI
• Docker