Webserv

Overview

This project is part of the 42 curriculum and aims to build a simple web server that adheres to the HTTP/1.1 specification. The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of how web servers operate, how HTTP works, and to create a server capable of handling multiple client requests, serving static files, and executing CGI scripts.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Features
• Getting Started
• Configuration
• Usage
• Directory Structure
• Built With
• Project Requirements
• Contributors

Introduction

In this project, we implemented a simplified web server, similar to nginx or Apache, that can serve HTTP requests over a network. The server can handle multiple types of requests, such as:

• GET: Retrieve static content.
• POST: Accept form data or upload files.
• DELETE: Delete a resource on the server.

It also implements some fundamental concepts like handling concurrent connections, parsing and responding to HTTP requests, and supporting CGI for dynamic content.

Features

• Serve static files (HTML, CSS, JS, images, etc.)
• Handle HTTP methods: GET, POST, and DELETE.
• HTTP request parsing and response generation.
• CGI (Common Gateway Interface) support for dynamic content.
• Multiple client support using non-blocking I/O (epoll, select, or poll).
• Custom error pages.
• Configurable server behavior via a configuration file.
• Graceful handling of HTTP status codes (e.g., 200 OK, 404 Not Found, 500 Internal Server Error).

Getting Started

Prerequisites

To compile and run this project, you need the following:

• A Unix-based operating system (Linux, macOS).
• A working C++11 or later compiler.
• A basic understanding of networking and HTTP.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your_username/webserv.git
   cd webserv

2. Build the project:

   make

3. Run the server:

   ./webserv <path_to_configuration_file>
   

Configuration

The server is configured using a configuration file that specifies various server settings such as port, server name, root directory, and more. Here's an example configuration:

server {
    listen 8080;
    server_name localhost;

    location / {
        root /var/www/html;
        index index.html;
    }

    location /cgi-bin/ {
        root /var/www/cgi-bin;
        cgi_pass /usr/bin/python3;
    }

    error_page 404 /404.html;
}

Configuration Options

listen: Specifies the port to listen on. server_name: Defines the domain name or IP address the server will respond to. root: The root directory for serving files. index: The default file to serve if no file is specified in the request. cgi_pass: Path to the CGI executable (e.g., Python, PHP, or any custom script). error_page: Custom error page paths for different HTTP error codes.