c_simple_http/README.md

C Simple HTTP

A simple HTTP/1.1 server written in C.

Usage

Usage:
  -p <port> | --port <port>
  --config=<config_file>
  --disable-peer-addr-print
  --req-header-to-print=<header> (can be used multiple times)
    For example: --req-header-to-print=User-Agent
    Note that this option is case-insensitive
  --enable-reload-config-on-change
  --enable-cache-dir=<DIR>
  --cache-entry-lifetime-seconds=<SECONDS>
  --enable-static-dir=<DIR>

Changelog

See the Changelog.

Before Compiling

Make sure that the git submodule(s) are loaded:

git submodule update --init --recursive --depth=1 --no-single-branch

Without this, the project will fail to build.

Example

# Build the project.
make c_simple_http

# Alternatively, build with cmake.
cmake -S . -B buildDebug && make -C buildDebug

# Run it with the example config.
# Note that the example config was designed such that it must be referred
# to from its parent directory.
./c_simple_http --config=example_config/example.config --enable-static-dir=example_static_dir
# If built with cmake:
./buildDebug/c_simple_http --config=example_config/example.config --enable-static-dir=example_static_dir

# If port is not specified, the server picks a random port.
# This program should print which TCP port it is listening on.
# Sometimes the program will fail to rebind to the same port due to how TCP
# works. Either wait some time or choose a different port.

# Access the website.
# This assumes the server is hosted on port 3000.
curl localhost:3000

Other Notes

The config file can be reloaded if the program receives the SIGUSR1 signal.
The --enable-reload-config-on-change option automatically reloads the config file if the config file has changed.

The --enable-cache-dir=<DIR> option enables caching and sets the "cache-dir" at the same time. --cache-entry-lifetime-seconds=<SECONDS> determines when a cache entry expires. The default expiry time of a cache entry is 1 week.