Webserv - 42 / 1337 Project

Webserv is a lightweight web server designed to handle common HTTP methods efficiently. It allows users to browse files directly from a web browser while supporting essential web server functionalities.

Features

• ✅ Non-blocking sockets (handles multiple clients simultaneously)
• ✅ Supports HTTP methods: GET, POST, DELETE
• ✅ Autoindex (directory listing)
• ✅ File upload
• ✅ CGI support (Common Gateway Interface)
• ✅ Redirections
• ✅ Sessions & Cookies
• ✅ Basic authentication
• ✅ Chunked transfer encoding
• ✅ Custom error pages
• ✅ Configurable server settings
• ✅ Streaming responses (chunked response handling)
• ✅ Multiple server blocks
• ✅ Client body size limitation
• ✅ Timeout control for CGI scripts
• ✅ Logging and error reporting
• ✅ Support for static and dynamic content

Requirements

• C++98
• CMake
• Make
• A C++ compiler

Installation

git clone https://github.com/bablilayoub/webserv
cd webserv
make

Usage

Start the server with a custom configuration file:

./webserv /path/to/config_file.conf

If no configuration file is provided, the server will use default settings.

To test the server locally, open a browser and navigate to:

http://127.0.0.1:8080

To upload a file via curl:

curl -X POST -F "file=@/path/to/your/file" http://127.0.0.1/upload

Configuration

Webserv uses a simple text-based configuration file structured as follows:

server {
    host 127.0.0.1;
    listen 8080;
    limit_client_body_size 1000000;
    root_folder /path/to/your/root/folder;
    error_page 404 /custom_404.html;

    location / {
        index index.html;
        autoindex on;
        upload_dir /path/to/your/upload/folder;
        accepted_methods GET POST;
        cgi_extensions php py;
        php_cgi_path /path/to/your/php-interpreter;
        python_cgi_path /path/to/your/python-interpreter;
        cgi_timeout 5;
    }

    location /login {
        index login.php;
        upload_dir /path/to/your/upload/folder;
        accepted_methods GET POST;
        cgi_extensions php;
        php_cgi_path /path/to/your/php-interpreter;
        cgi_timeout 10;
    }

    location /redirect {
        redirect 301 /redirected;
    }

    location /static {
        root_folder /var/www/static;
        accepted_methods GET;
    }
}

Example Scenarios

• Hosting a Static Website:

  • Place HTML, CSS, and JS files in /var/www/static and configure a /static route.
  • Access the site via http://127.0.0.1:8080/static/index.html

• Enabling File Uploads:

  • Ensure upload_dir is properly set.
  • Use curl or a web form to send files to the server.

• Running a PHP-based Login System:

  • Configure a /login location with php_cgi_path.
  • Ensure the PHP interpreter is correctly installed.

Authors

• Ayoub Bablil
• Achraf Laalalma
• Aimen Taoussi

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.