Webserv - A Web Server in C++

Webserv is a lightweight web server made in C++98 style. It provides essential built-in functionalities, supporting the GET, POST and DELETE methods.

Features

• HTTP Methods: Supports the core HTTP methods:

  • GET: Retrieve resources.
  • POST: Create resources with multi-part/form-data body.
  • DELETE: Delete resources.

• CGI Execution: Ability to execute CGI programs based on provided extensions and launch commands.

• Proxy Pass: Forward requests to another server, extending the server's capability to act as a proxy for various backend servers.

Usage

Compile Webserv with the provided Makefile:

make

Run the server with the desired configuration file:

./webserv [config_file]

Webserv must be run from the project's root.

Configuration File

Webserv uses a configuration file to specify the servers's settings. It features directives inheritance, meaning server blocks' directives can be passed down to location blocks or overitten by if redeclared.

server {
    listen: 127.0.0.1:8080;
    host_names: localhost, yourdomain.com;
    root: /path/to/your/web/root;

    location: / {
        index: /index.html;
    }

    # Additional location blocks...
}
# Additional server blocks...

Proxy Pass

Webserv supports proxying any HTTP method. To use it as a proxy server, configure the proxy_pass directive in your configuration file:

server {
    listen: 127.0.0.1:8080;

    location: /api {
        proxy_pass: http://some_server;
    }
}

Keep in mind that Webserv, being an HTTP server does not support HTTPS proxies.

CGI Execution

Configure CGI execution by specifying the CGI extension and command in the cgi_extensions directive:

server {
    listen: 127.0.0.1:8080;

    location: /cgi-bin/ {
        cgi_extensions: {
            .py: /usr/bin/python3;
            .php: /bin/php-cgi;
        }
    }
}

Directives

Directive	Meaning	Syntax	Example
root	Root directory where your website files are located.	absolute or relative path	root: /some/dir;
upload_root	Root where uploaded files will be stored.	absolute or relative path	uploaded_root: /some/dir;
listen	IP address and/or port for a server block.	[ip_address]:[port]	listen: 0.0.0.0:3000;
host_names	Host names your server block will respond to.	[host_name], ...	host_names: random.io, other.com;
location	Declaration of a location block.	[location_path] { ... }	location: /some/path {index: index.html}
index	File to be maped by a request's url if it maps to a directory.	absolute or relative path	index: /index.html;
fallback	File or directory to be maped by a request's url if the requested resource doesn't exits.	absolute or relative path	fallback: /index.html;
methods	HTTP methods allowed for a specific path.	[valid_HTTP_method], ...	methods: GET, POST, PUT;
error_pages	Your error pages to send.	{ [error_status]: [path/to/page]; ... }	error_pages: {404: 404.html}
auto_index	Listing of a directory if index file doesn't exist in it.	on/off	auto_index: on;
add_headers	Headers to add if client request was successfull.	{ [field]: [value]; ... }	add_headers: {Content-Disposition: attachment;}
redirect	Client redirection for a specific path.	absolute or local URI	redirect: /index.html;
body_max_size	Client's body request maximum size in bytes.	[some_limit] (MB/KB/ or plain bytes)	body_max_size: 10MB;
proxy_pass	Absolute URI a specific location will proxy its requests to.	HTTP absolute URI	proxy_pass: http://localhost:5000;

Resource mapping

Definition

The process of turning an HTTP request's path to an actual resource path on the server.

Leading slash

A leading slash in a specified path will result in the location's path discarded for resource mapping. Without it, the location's path will be included.

Example

location: /public/ { index: /index.html }, with this request /public, will result in /your/root + /index.html not /your/root + /public + /file.png.

Trailing slash

To include a location block's path in the resource's mapping, you must specify a trailing slash in the path. To discard the location's path, leave the path as is. In this case the location's path will be discarded when mapping the request.

Example

location: /public { ... }, with this request /public/file.png, will result in /your/root + /file.png not /your/root + /public + /file.png.

Logs

You can log requests and responses by specifying debug=on in your configuration file.