Webserv

"This is when you finally understand why a URL starts with HTTP"

📖 Project Overview

Webserv is a lightweight HTTP/1.1 web server implemented in C++98, developed as a part of the 42 school curriculum. It is capable of handling multiple clients simultaneously using non-blocking I/O with poll() (or its equivalents), serving static content, executing CGI scripts, supporting multiple HTTP methods (GET, POST, DELETE), and simulating essential features found in popular web servers like NGINX.

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🔧 Features

• ✅ Compatible with HTTP/1.1
• ✅ Non-blocking I/O using poll() (or select, kqueue, epoll)
• ✅ Support for multiple client connections
• ✅ Handles GET, POST, and DELETE methods
• ✅ Static file serving
• ✅ CGI support (e.g., PHP, Python)
• ✅ File upload support via POST
• ✅ Multiple server blocks & virtual hosting
• ✅ Default error pages
• ✅ Directory listing (optional)
• ✅ Redirections
• ✅ Configuration file inspired by NGINX
• ✅ Stress-tested for resilience
• ✅ Compliant with C++98 standard

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⚙️ Compilation

make

Makefile rules:

• make or make all: Build the server

• make clean: Remove object files

• make fclean: Remove object files and executable

• make re: Rebuild the entire project

Compiled with:

c++ -Wall -Wextra -Werror -std=c++98

🚀 Usage

./webserv [configuration_file]

If no configuration file is passed, a default one will be used.

🧾 Configuration

The configuration file is inspired by the NGINX style. You can:

• Define multiple server blocks with:

  • host and port

  • server_name

  • client_max_body_size

  • error_page definitions

• Define location (routes) blocks per server with:

  • Allowed HTTP methods

  • Root directory

  • Directory listing on/off

  • Default index files

  • Redirection rules

  • Upload destinations

  • CGI execution by extension

📂 Example Configuration

server [
    port = 3000;
    port = 127.1.1.1:8080;
    servernames = localhost;
    bodysizelimit = 3GB;
    globalroot = html;

    route / {
        autoindex = on;
        acceptedmethods = GET;
        index = index.html;
    }

    route /delete {
        autoindex =  off;
        index = delete.html;
        acceptedmethods = GET, DELETE;
    }

    route /login {
        # autoindex = on;
        acceptedmethods = GET, POST;
        index = login.py;
		root = html/login;
        cgiextension = php, /usr/bin/php;
        cgiextension = py, /usr/bin/python3;
        cgiextension = sh, /usr/bin/bash;
    }

    route /uploads {
        autoindex = on;
        acceptedmethods = GET, POST, DELETE;
        root = html/uploads;
    }

    route /uploading {
        autoindex = off;
        index = upload.html;
        uploaddir = uploads;
        acceptedmethods = GET, POST;
        root = html;  
    }

    route /about {
        autoindex = off;
        acceptedmethods = GET;
        return = 301, amineichou.uk;
    }
]

🧪 Testing

• Tested using browsers, curl, telnet, and Python scripts

• Compatible with major HTTP clients

• Compare behavior with NGINX for compliance

📝 Notes

• 🍪 Cookie and session management

• 🔁 Support for multiple CGI handlers (e.g., PHP & Python)

• No external libraries (including Boost) used

• No system calls like fork() allowed outside CGI

• read/write operations always go through poll() (or equivalent)

• MacOS requires fcntl() with specific flags only (F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK, FD_CLOEXEC)

• Compiled and tested on a linux envirement (Linux 5.15.0-136-generic #147-Ubuntu SMP Sat Mar 15 15:53:30 UTC 2025 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux)

end.