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+Loop handlers
+=============
+
+Purpose
+-------
+
+Loop handlers are a special kind of HTTP handlers used when the
+response can not be sent right away. The handler enters instead
+a receive loop waiting for the right message before it can send
+a response.
+
+They are most useful when performing long-polling operations or
+when using server-sent events.
+
+While the same can be accomplished using plain HTTP handlers,
+it is recommended to use loop handlers because they are well-tested
+and allow using built-in features like hibernation and timeouts.
+
+Usage
+-----
+
+Loop handlers are used for requests where a response might not
+be immediately available, but where you would like to keep the
+connection open for a while in case the response arrives. The
+most known example of such practice is known as long-polling.
+
+Loop handlers can also be used for requests where a response is
+partially available and you need to stream the response body
+while the connection is open. The most known example of such
+practice is known as server-sent events.
+
+Loop handlers essentially wait for one or more Erlang messages
+and feed these messages to the `info/3` callback. It also features
+the `init/3` and `terminate/3` callbacks which work the same as
+for plain HTTP handlers.
+
+The following handler waits for a message `{reply, Body}` before
+sending a response. If this message doesn't arrive within 60
+seconds, it gives up and a `204 No Content` will be replied.
+It also hibernates the process to save memory while waiting for
+this message.
+
+``` erlang
+-module(my_loop_handler).
+-behaviour(cowboy_loop_handler).
+
+-export([init/3]).
+-export([info/3]).
+-export([terminate/3]).
+
+init({tcp, http}, Req, Opts) ->
+ {loop, Req, undefined_state, 60000, hibernate}.
+
+info({reply, Body}, Req, State) ->
+ {ok, Req2} = cowboy_req:reply(200, [], Body, Req),
+ {ok, Req2, State};
+info(Message, Req, State) ->
+ {loop, Req, State, hibernate}.
+
+terminate(Reason, Req, State) ->
+ ok.
+```