The Webserv project lead us to write our own HTTP server in C++ 98 inspired by NGINX, giving us the opportunity to understand the internal mechanisms of a web server and familiarize ourselves with HTTP requests and responses.
- Language: C++ 98 and C.
- Features: The server must:
- Read a configuration file and adapt accordingly.
- Listen on multiple ports.
- Be non-blocking and use
poll()(or equivalent) for I/O operations. - Support GET, POST, and DELETE methods.
- Serve a static website.
- Handle file uploads from clients.
- Support CGI for certain file extensions.
- Be robust and never crash unexpectedly.
- Comply with HTTP 1.1, using NGINX as a reference for response behaviors and headers.
- No external libraries (including the Boost set) are allowed.
- The use of
forkis restricted to CGI purposes only.
git clone git@github.com:semx2a/webserv.git
cd webserv/server
make
./webserv path/to/config_file.confA demo configuration file is located in
neoserv/conf/testwebsite.conf. You can modify it to change the server behavior, listening ports, etc.
To access the site, simply enter the following line in your web browser's search bar:
http://localhost:8080
Port 8080 is the default port configured in the provided configuration file. If this parameter is changed, the port must be modified in the browser to access the site.
- In-depth understanding of the HTTP protocol and its methods.
- Mastery of network programming in C and C++, especially managing non-blocking connections and I/O multiplexing. We chose
epollas the multiplexer for the following reasons:- Better Performance:
epolloperates on an event-driven model, where the kernel informs the application about file descriptors ready for I/O operations. This avoids unnecessary system calls (unlikeselectorpollwhich iterate over the entire set of files) and reduces the complexity from O(n) to O(1) in many scenarios. - Flexibility and Control:
epolloffers precise control over the types of events monitored for each file descriptor without having to remove and re-add it, which is not possible withselectorpoll.
- Better Performance:
- Managing a complex project in C++, adhering to coding standards, and producing clean and well-organized code.
- Ability to create and read configuration files to customize server behavior.
- Understanding how web servers handle requests, serve static content, manage file uploads, and execute CGI.
- Developing debugging and testing skills to ensure the server is reliable and performs well even under load.
- Classes
- Encapsulation
- Visibility
- Member attributes and functions
- Constants
- Accessors
- Constructors / Destructors
- Canonical Form of Coplien
- Initialization list
- Pointers to members
- Inheritance
- Abstract classes
- Encapsulation
- Operator Overloading
- Templates
- Containers
- Vectors
- Maps
- Polymorphism (Function Overloading)
- Subtyping
- Conditional Compilation
- Exceptions
- Casting
#ifdef LOGS
utl::log(socket, "Closed connection");
#endif#ifndef HEADERS_HPP
# define HEADERS_HPP
# include "ARespComponent.hpp"
# include "ResponseContext.hpp"
# include "MimeTypes.hpp"
class Headers : public ARespComponent {
public:
Headers(size_t);
Headers(std::string const&, size_t, std::string const&, ResponseContext const&, std::string const&);
Headers(Headers const&);
~Headers();
Headers & operator=(Headers const&);
size_t contentLength(void) const;
void setContentLength(size_t);
void build(void);
void build(std::string const&, size_t, std::string const&, ResponseContext const&, std::string const&);
private:
Headers();
size_t _contentLength;
MimeTypes _mimeTypes;
std::string _findExtension(std::string const& path);
};
#endif