Webserv

A lightweight, high-performance HTTP web server implemented in C++98, designed to handle multiple concurrent connections using an event-driven architecture with poll().

Features

• HTTP Methods Support: GET, POST, DELETE
• CGI Support: Execute Python (.py) and PHP (.php) scripts
• Chunked Transfer Encoding: Efficient handling of large data transfers
• File Uploads: Support for multipart/form-data uploads with configurable temporary paths
• Autoindex: Automatic directory listing when enabled
• Configuration File: Nginx-style configuration syntax
• Multiple Servers: Support for multiple server blocks on different ports
• Client Body Size Limits: Configurable maximum request body size
• Timeout Handling: Connection timeout configuration
• Cookies Support: Session management and cookie handling
• Error Pages: Custom error responses

Requirements

• C++98 compatible compiler (tested with g++)
• POSIX compliant system (Linux/macOS)
• Standard C++ libraries

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd webserv

2. Build the project:

   make

3. The executable webserv will be created in the current directory.

Usage

Run the web server with a configuration file:

./webserv [configuration_file]

If no configuration file is provided, it defaults to webserv.conf.

Example

./webserv webserv.conf

The server will start listening on the configured ports (default: 8080).

Configuration

The server uses a configuration file similar to Nginx. The default configuration file is webserv.conf.

Basic Server Block

server {
    root website;
    host localhost;
    index index.html;
    listen 8080;
    timeout 1;
    autoindex on;
    client_max_body_size 100m;

    location / {
        index index.html;
        allowed_methods GET POST DELETE;
        autoindex on;
        root ./website;
        cgi_pass .py;
        cgi_pass .php;
        client_body_temp_path ./website/uploads;
    }
}

Configuration Directives

• root: Root directory for serving files
• host: Server hostname
• index: Default index file(s)
• listen: Port to listen on
• timeout: Connection timeout in seconds
• autoindex: Enable/disable directory listing (on/off)
• client_max_body_size: Maximum request body size
• allowed_methods: Permitted HTTP methods for the location
• cgi_pass: File extensions to pass to CGI
• client_body_temp_path: Temporary path for file uploads

Directory Structure

.
├── main.cpp                 # Main entry point
├── Makefile                 # Build configuration
├── webserv.conf            # Default configuration file
├── includes/               # Header files
│   ├── Webserv.hpp
│   ├── Server.hpp
│   ├── Client.hpp
│   ├── Request.hpp
│   ├── Respond.hpp
│   └── ...
└── src/                    # Source files
    ├── RequestRespond/     # Request/response handling
    └── server/             # Server implementation

Testing

1. Create a website directory with your HTML files
2. Configure the server in webserv.conf
3. Run the server: ./webserv
4. Access via browser: http://localhost:8080

CGI Support

The server supports CGI for Python and PHP scripts. Configure CGI extensions in your location blocks:

location /cgi-bin/ {
    cgi_pass .py;
    cgi_pass .php;
}

File Uploads

File uploads are supported with configurable temporary paths:

client_body_temp_path ./website/uploads;

Error Handling

The server provides appropriate HTTP status codes and error messages for various scenarios including:

• 403 Forbidden
• 404 Not Found
• 405 Method Not Allowed
• 413 Request Entity Too Large
• 500 Internal Server Error

Architecture

• Event-Driven: Uses poll() for handling multiple connections efficiently
• Modular Design: Separate modules for request parsing, response generation, and server management
• Configuration Parser: Custom parser for the configuration file syntax
• Memory Management: Careful memory handling to prevent leaks