feature: added ngx.req.start_time() to return the request starting time in seconds (the milliseconds part is the decimal part just as in ngx.now). thanks Matthieu Tourne for the patch.

README

@@ -3472,6 +3472,18 @@ Nginx API for Lua
             ...
         end
 
+  ngx.req.start_time
+    syntax: *secs = ngx.req.start_time()*
+
+    context: *set_by_lua*, rewrite_by_lua*, access_by_lua*, content_by_lua*,
+    header_filter_by_lua*, body_filter_by_lua*, log_by_lua**
+
+    Returns a floating-point number representing the timestamp (including
+    milliseconds as the decimal part) when the current request was created.
+
+    The following example is similar to $request_time in Nginx log module :
+    local request_time = ngx.now() - ngx.req.start_time()
+
   ngx.is_subrequest
     syntax: *value = ngx.is_subrequest*
 

README.markdown

@@ -3196,6 +3196,19 @@ Parse the http time string (as returned by [ngx.http_time](http://wiki.nginx.org
     end
 
 
+ngx.req.start_time
+------------------
+**syntax:** *secs = ngx.req.start_time()*
+
+**context:** *set_by_lua*, rewrite_by_lua*, access_by_lua*, content_by_lua*, header_filter_by_lua*, body_filter_by_lua*, log_by_lua**
+
+Returns a floating-point number representing the timestamp (including milliseconds as the decimal part) when the current request was created.
+
+The following example is similar to $request_time in Nginx log module :
+
+    local request_time = ngx.now() - ngx.req.start_time()
+
+
 ngx.is_subrequest
 -----------------
 **syntax:** *value = ngx.is_subrequest*

doc/HttpLuaModule.wiki

@@ -3086,6 +3086,18 @@ Parse the http time string (as returned by [[#ngx.http_time|ngx.http_time]]) int
     end
 </geshi>
 
+== ngx.req.start_time ==
+'''syntax:''' ''secs = ngx.req.start_time()''
+
+'''context:''' ''set_by_lua*, rewrite_by_lua*, access_by_lua*, content_by_lua*, header_filter_by_lua*, body_filter_by_lua*, log_by_lua*''
+
+Returns a floating-point number representing the timestamp (including milliseconds as the decimal part) when the current request was created.
+
+The following example is similar to $request_time in Nginx log module :
+<geshi lang="nginx">
+    local request_time = ngx.now() - ngx.req.start_time()
+</geshi>
+
 == ngx.is_subrequest ==
 '''syntax:''' ''value = ngx.is_subrequest''
 

src/ngx_http_lua_time.c

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include "ddebug.h"
 
 #include "ngx_http_lua_time.h"
+#include "ngx_http_lua_util.h"
 
 
 static int ngx_http_lua_ngx_today(lua_State *L);
@@ -15,6 +16,7 @@ static int ngx_http_lua_ngx_cookie_time(lua_State *L);
 static int ngx_http_lua_ngx_http_time(lua_State *L);
 static int ngx_http_lua_ngx_parse_http_time(lua_State *L);
 static int ngx_http_lua_ngx_update_time(lua_State *L);
+static int ngx_http_lua_ngx_req_start_time(lua_State *L);
 
 
 static int
@@ -175,6 +177,25 @@ ngx_http_lua_ngx_parse_http_time(lua_State *L)
 }
 
 
+static int
+ngx_http_lua_ngx_req_start_time(lua_State *L)
+{
+    ngx_http_request_t  *r;
+
+    lua_pushlightuserdata(L, &ngx_http_lua_request_key);
+    lua_rawget(L, LUA_GLOBALSINDEX);
+    r = lua_touserdata(L, -1);
+    lua_pop(L, 1);
+
+    if (r == NULL) {
+        return luaL_error(L, "no request found");
+    }
+
+    lua_pushnumber(L, (lua_Number) (r->start_sec + r->start_msec / 1000.0L));
+    return 1;
+}
+
+
 void
 ngx_http_lua_inject_time_api(lua_State *L)
 {
@@ -215,3 +236,11 @@ ngx_http_lua_inject_time_api(lua_State *L)
     lua_setfield(L, -2, "parse_http_time");
 }
 
+
+void
+ngx_http_lua_inject_req_time_api(lua_State *L)
+{
+    lua_pushcfunction(L, ngx_http_lua_ngx_req_start_time);
+    lua_setfield(L, -2, "start_time");
+}
+

src/ngx_http_lua_time.h

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 
 void ngx_http_lua_inject_time_api(lua_State *L);
+void ngx_http_lua_inject_req_time_api(lua_State *L);
 
 
 #endif /* NGX_HTTP_LUA_TIME_H */
-

src/ngx_http_lua_util.c

@@ -1999,19 +1999,15 @@ ngx_http_lua_inject_req_api(ngx_log_t *log, lua_State *L)
 {
     /* ngx.req table */
 
-    lua_createtable(L, 0 /* narr */, 20 /* nrec */);    /* .req */
+    lua_createtable(L, 0 /* narr */, 21 /* nrec */);    /* .req */
 
     ngx_http_lua_inject_req_header_api(log, L);
-
     ngx_http_lua_inject_req_uri_api(log, L);
-
     ngx_http_lua_inject_req_args_api(L);
-
     ngx_http_lua_inject_req_body_api(L);
-
     ngx_http_lua_inject_req_socket_api(L);
-
     ngx_http_lua_inject_req_method_api(L);
+    ngx_http_lua_inject_req_time_api(L);
 
     lua_setfield(L, -2, "req");
 }
@@ -3271,4 +3267,3 @@ ngx_http_lua_test_expect(ngx_http_request_t *r)
 
     return NGX_ERROR;
 }
-

t/062-count.t

@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ n = 1
 --- request
 GET /test
 --- response_body
-n = 20
+n = 21
 --- no_error_log
 [error]
 
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ n = 20
 --- request
 GET /test
 --- response_body
-n = 20
+n = 21
 --- no_error_log
 [error]
 
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ n = 20
 --- request
 GET /test
 --- response_body
-n = 20
+n = 21
 --- no_error_log
 [error]
 

t/102-req-start-time.t

@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+# -*- mode: conf -*-
+# vim:set ft= ts=4 sw=4 et fdm=marker:
+
+use lib 'lib';
+use Test::Nginx::Socket;
+
+#worker_connections(1014);
+#master_process_enabled(1);
+log_level('warn');
+
+repeat_each(2);
+
+plan tests => repeat_each() * (blocks() * 3);
+
+#no_diff();
+no_long_string();
+run_tests();
+
+__DATA__
+
+=== TEST 1: start time
+--- config
+    location = /start {
+        content_by_lua 'ngx.say(ngx.req.start_time())';
+    }
+--- request
+GET /start
+--- response_body_like: ^\d{10,}(\.\d+)?$
+--- no_error_log
+[error]
+
+
+
+=== TEST 2: start time in set_by_lua
+--- config
+    location = /start {
+        set_by_lua $a 'return ngx.req.start_time()';
+        echo $a;
+    }
+--- request
+GET /start
+--- response_body_like: ^\d{10,}(\.\d+)?$
+--- no_error_log
+[error]
+
+
+
+=== TEST 3: request time
+--- config
+    location = /req_time {
+        content_by_lua '
+            ngx.sleep(0.1)
+
+            local req_time = ngx.now() - ngx.req.start_time()
+
+            ngx.say(req_time)
+            ngx.say(ngx.req.start_time() < ngx.now())
+        ';
+    }
+--- request
+GET /req_time
+--- response_body_like chop
+^(?:0\.[12]|0\.099)\d*
+true$
+--- no_error_log
+[error]
+
+
+
+=== TEST 4: request time update
+--- config
+    location = /req_time {
+            content_by_lua '
+               ngx.sleep(0.1)
+
+               local req_time = ngx.now() - ngx.req.start_time()
+
+               ngx.sleep(0.1)
+
+               ngx.update_time()
+
+               local req_time_updated = ngx.now() - ngx.req.start_time()
+
+               ngx.say(req_time)
+               ngx.say(req_time_updated)
+               ngx.say(req_time_updated > req_time)
+            ';
+    }
+--- request
+GET /req_time
+--- response_body_like chomp
+^(?:0\.[12]|0\.099)\d*
+0\.\d+
+true$
+--- no_error_log
+[error]
+
+
+
+=== TEST 5: init_by_lua
+--- http_config
+    init_by_lua '
+        time = ngx.req.start_time()
+    ';
+--- config
+    location = /t {
+        content_by_lua '
+            ngx.say(time)
+        ';
+    }
+--- request
+    GET /t
+--- response_body
+--- no_error_log
+[error]
+--- SKIP
+