webserv

A small HTTP web server implemented in C++ (C++98). This project implements a configurable HTTP server with support for static files, CGI execution, and basic request methods. It's structured for development and testing with the included configuration files and www/ test content.

you can see the subject in folder /subject

Quick summary

• Language: C++ (C++98)
• Build system: Makefile
• Main executable: webserv
• Example config: test_configs/default.conf
• Test website root: www/

Features

• Serve static files from configured document roots
• CGI support (see www/cgi-bin/)
• Basic HTTP methods: GET, POST, DELETE
• Configurable servers and locations via a config file parser
• epoll-based I/O (edge-triggered/reactor style) for efficiency

Repository layout (important files)

• main.cpp - program entry
• Makefile - build and run helpers
• Server_setup/ - server, socket, and epoll setup code
• request/ - request parsing and method handlers (GET, POST, DELETE)
• response/ - response generation
• config/ - configuration lexer and parser
• cgi/ - CGI runner utilities
• utils/ - helper utilities and MIME types
• www/ - sample website, CGI scripts and test pages
• test_configs/ - example server configs used for testing

Requirements

• A C++ compiler that supports C++98 (g++)
• GNU Make
• POSIX-compatible OS (Linux recommended for testing)

Build

Build the project using Make:

make

For a debug build (adds -DDEBUG):

make debug

Clean build artifacts:

make clean
make fclean   # removes the `webserv` binary as well

Run

There's a convenience make target that builds and runs the server using the provided default config:

make run

Or run the compiled binary directly and pass a configuration file path:

./webserv ./test_configs/default.conf

By default the example config (test_configs/default.conf) references the www/ directory in this repo as the server document root.

Testing the server (simple examples)

From another terminal, try a few requests with curl (adjust host/port to match your config):

# List index page
curl -i http://127.0.0.1:3080/

# GET a static file
curl -i http://127.0.0.1:3080/index.html

# Execute a CGI script
curl -i "http://127.0.0.1:3080/cgi-bin/get.py"

# POST with form data to a CGI
curl -i -X POST -d "name=foo" http://127.0.0.1:3080/cgi-bin/post_test.py

# DELETE a file (if the config and permissions allow it)
curl -i -X DELETE http://127.0.0.1:3080/some/path

See www/cgi-bin/ for example CGI scripts used during testing.

Configuration

The server reads a configuration file on startup. Example config files live in test_configs/. The parser and lexer are implemented under config/.

Key fields typically include:

• listen address/port
• server names
• root (document root)
• index file
• location blocks (for routing, CGI, uploads, redirects, etc.)

Refer to test_configs/default.conf and test_configs/multi_cgi.conf as working examples.

Development notes

• The codebase targets C++98 and uses a Makefile-based workflow.
• To enable debug logging, use make debug or compile with -DDEBUG.
• The project uses epoll for multiplexed I/O. Be careful when testing on platforms that do not support epoll.
• Source files are organized by responsibility (server setup, request handling, config parsing, CGI runner, utilities).

Contract (quick):

• Input: a filesystem-backed configuration file path passed as argv[1].
• Output: an HTTP server that listens on the address/port from the config and serves requests according to config rules.
• Error modes: startup errors (invalid config, port in use), runtime errors (bad requests, IO errors), CGI failures. Check stderr/log output.

Common edge-cases to keep in mind:

• Missing or invalid configuration file
• Large request bodies (POST) and upload handling
• Concurrent connections and resource limits
• Permission issues when writing/deleting files