WebServer - HTTP/1.0 Server Implementation in C++98

This is when you finally understand why URLs start with HTTP

A fully functional HTTP server written in C++98, capable of serving static websites, handling CGI scripts, managing file uploads, and processing cookies for session management.

Project Overview

This project implements a custom HTTP server from scratch in C++98, following the HTTP/1.0 protocol specification. The server is non-blocking, uses I/O multiplexing with epoll(), and can handle multiple simultaneous connections while serving content across multiple ports.

System Requirements

Linux (epoll-based implementation)
GCC / Clang with C++98 support
PHP-CGI (/usr/bin/php-cgi)
Python 3 (/usr/bin/python3)

Team

This project was developed by a team of three developers, each focusing on critical components:

Charaf: Configuration parsing, Server initialization, and GET request handling
Taoufiq: POST request implementation and file upload functionality
Zakaria: CGI (Common Gateway Interface) execution and management

Key Features

Core Functionality

HTTP/1.0 Protocol Support - Fully compliant HTTP/1.0 implementation
Non-blocking I/O - Asynchronous request handling using epoll()
Multiple HTTP Methods - GET, POST, and DELETE support
Static File Serving - Efficient delivery of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and media files
File Upload - Client file upload with configurable storage locations
CGI Execution - Support for dynamic content generation (PHP, Python scripts)
Multi-port Listening - Serve different websites on different ports
Custom Error Pages - Configurable error page handling
Directory Listing - Optional autoindex functionality
HTTP Redirections - Configurable URL redirections
Request Body Size Limiting - Protection against oversized requests

Advanced Features (Bonus)

Cookie & Session Management - User authentication and session tracking
Multiple CGI Types - PHP and Python CGI support
User Authentication - Sign in/Sign up functionality with persistent sessions

Project Structure

webserver/
├── main.cpp              # Entry point
├── Webserv.cpp/.hpp      # Main server orchestration
├── Server.cpp/.hpp       # Server configuration and socket management
├── Request.hpp           # HTTP request parsing
├── CGI.cpp/.hpp          # CGI script execution
├── Makefile              # Build configuration
├── default/
│   └── default.conf      # Default server configuration
└── prod/                 # Production demo sites
    ├── index.html        # Main landing page
    ├── style.css         # Styling
    ├── upload/           # File upload directory with autoindex demo
    ├── cgi_files/        # CGI test scripts (PHP, Python)
    └── pirate_stream/    # Full-featured streaming website
        ├── db/           # User and movie databases (JSON)
        ├── images/       # Movie posters and assets
        ├── movies/       # Video content
        └── *.php         # Dynamic pages (login, register, streaming)

Known Limitations

HTTP/1.1 features (chunked transfer, keep-alive) are not supported
HTTPS / TLS is not implemented
epoll-based implementation is Linux-only
CGI timeout is fixed (3 seconds)

Production Demo Sites

We have included two fully functional websites in the repository to demonstrate the server's capabilities. These sites are configured to run locally with the server and showcase all implemented features:

1. Main Demonstration Site

A comprehensive showcase of all server functionalities located in the prod/ directory, this site includes:

Static file serving
File upload with directory navigation
CGI script execution examples
Error page handling
Various HTTP methods demonstration

2. Pirate Stream (Featured Application)

A complete movie streaming platform located in prod/pirate_stream/, featuring:

User Authentication System
- Sign up with account creation
- Sign in with cookie-based session management
- Logout functionality
Dynamic Header
- Displays "Welcome, [Username]!" when logged in
- Shows login/register options for guests
Movie Library
- Browse available movies with poster thumbnails
- Stream full-length movies directly in browser
- Movie metadata display
Session Persistence
- Cookies maintain user sessions across requests
- Personalized experience based on login status
CGI-Powered Backend
- PHP scripts handle authentication, session management, and dynamic content
- JSON-based user and movie databases

Configuration

The server uses an NGINX-inspired configuration file format. You can create your own configuration file or use the default one located at default/default.conf.

Configuration Structure

The configuration file consists of:

Global directives (outside server blocks)
Server blocks (can have multiple servers listening on different ports)
Location blocks (route-specific settings within servers)

Global Directives

These directives apply to all servers:

client_max_body_size 12884901888;             # Maximum request body size in bytes
error_page 404 403 /path/to/error_page.html;  # Custom error pages for status codes

Server Block Configuration

Each server block defines a listening port and contains location blocks:

server {
    listen localhost:8080;              # Required: host:port to listen on
    root /path/to/root;                 # Optional: default root for all locations
    
    location / {
        # Location-specific directives
    }
}

Important: If root is not set in either the server block OR the location block, the parser will throw an error. At least one must be defined.

Location Block Directives

Each location block supports the following directives:

Directive	Default	Description
`root`	Required if not in server	Root directory for this location
`index`	`index.html`	Default files to serve (space-separated list)
`allow_methods`	`GET`	Allowed HTTP methods (GET, POST, DELETE)
`autoindex`	`off`	Enable/disable directory listing (`on` or `off`)
`upload_dir`	`/uploads`	Directory where uploaded files are stored
`cgi`	`off`	Enable/disable CGI script execution (`on` or `off`)
`return`	-	HTTP redirection (status code and URL/text)

CGI Behavior

The cgi directive controls how .php and .py files are handled:

When cgi off (default): The server serves .php and .py files as static files (downloads them)
When cgi on: The server executes the script and returns the output to the client
- PHP scripts are executed using /usr/bin/php-cgi
- Python scripts are executed using /usr/bin/python3
- CGI environment variables are properly set (REQUEST_METHOD, QUERY_STRING, etc.)

Complete Configuration Example

Here's a full configuration file demonstrating all features:

# Global configuration
client_max_body_size 12884901888;
error_page 404 403 /home/user/errors/error_page.html;

server {
    listen localhost:8080;
    root /home/user/goinfre/prod;

    # Main landing page
    location / {
        root /home/user/goinfre/prod;
        index index2.html index.html;
        allow_methods GET POST DELETE;
    }

    # Directory listing example
    location /autoindex {
        root /home/user/goinfre/prod/upload/autoindex;
        allow_methods GET DELETE;
        autoindex on;
    }

    # File upload endpoint
    location /upload {
        root /home/user/goinfre/prod/upload;
        allow_methods GET POST;
        upload_dir /autoindex/uploads;
    }

    # CGI scripts directory
    location /cgi_files {
        root /home/user/goinfre/prod/cgi_files;
        index index.html;
        allow_methods GET POST;
        cgi on;
    }

    # Pirate Stream application
    location /pirate_stream {
        root /home/user/goinfre/prod/pirate_stream;
        allow_methods GET POST;
        index main.php;
        cgi on;
    }
}

Configuration Rules & Validation

The parser enforces strict rules:

Proper bracket matching ({ and })
Semicolons after each directive (;)
Valid IP addresses or hostnames in listen directive
Ports must be between 0-65535
Valid HTTP status codes for error pages (400-599)
No duplicate server ports (same host:port combination)
No duplicate location paths within a server
At least one server block must be defined
root must be set in server block OR location block (or both)

Any syntax error or invalid configuration will be caught during parsing with a descriptive error message.

Usage

Compilation

make

Running the Server

# With default configuration
./webserv

# With custom configuration file
./webserv path/to/config.conf

Testing

Access the server through your web browser:

Main site: http://localhost:8080
Pirate Stream: http://localhost:8080/pirate_stream/

Or test with command-line tools:

# Simple GET request
curl http://localhost:8080/

# Upload a file
curl -X POST -F "file=@test.txt" http://localhost:8080/upload

Technical Implementation

Non-blocking Architecture with epoll

I/O Multiplexing: Uses Linux's epoll for efficient, scalable non-blocking I/O operations
Single Event Loop: One epoll instance manages all sockets, client connections, and CGI pipes
No Blocking Calls: All socket operations (accept, read, write) are non-blocking
Efficient Scalability: Can handle hundreds of simultaneous connections with minimal overhead
Event-Driven Design: Responds to EPOLLIN (readable) and EPOLLOUT (writable) events

HTTP Request Processing

Parse incoming HTTP request (method, URI, headers, body)
Match request to configured route
Determine response type (static file, CGI, redirect, error)
Generate and send HTTP response with appropriate status codes

CGI Execution

Fork child process for CGI script execution
Set up environment variables (REQUEST_METHOD, QUERY_STRING, CONTENT_LENGTH, etc.)
Handle stdin/stdout/stderr communication via pipes (also managed by epoll)
Proper working directory management
Timeout protection (3 seconds max execution time)
Parse CGI headers (Status, Content-Type, Location for redirects)

File Upload Handling

Multipart Form Data: Parse multipart/form-data boundaries
Streaming Uploads: Write file chunks directly to disk as they arrive
Large File Support: Handle files up to the configured client_max_body_size
Automatic Filename Conflicts: Append (1), (2), etc. to duplicate filenames
Non-blocking Writes: File operations don't block the server

Cookie & Session Management

HTTP cookie parsing from request headers
Session ID generation and validation
Set-Cookie header generation in responses
Persistent user state across requests

Standards Compliance

C++98 Standard: Full compliance with no C++11/14/17 features
HTTP/1.0: Core protocol implementation
RFC References: Guided by HTTP/1.0 RFC
NGINX Compatibility: Configuration format and behavior comparison

Testing

The server has been stress tested to ensure:

No crashes or memory leaks under heavy load
Proper handling of malformed requests
Correct HTTP status codes
Graceful client disconnection handling
Concurrent request processing
Large file upload/download stability

Dependencies

External Functions Used:

Socket operations: socket, bind, listen, accept, send
I/O multiplexing: epoll
Process management: fork, execve, waitpid, kill, signal
File operations: open, read, write, close, stat, access
Network utilities: htons, htonl, ntohs, ntohl, getaddrinfo

No external libraries - Pure C++98 implementation using only standard library and system calls.

Project Achievements

Fully functional HTTP server capable of production deployment
Complete static website hosting
Dynamic content generation via CGI
File upload and management system
User authentication and session management
Multiple concurrent website hosting
Bonus features implemented (cookies, sessions, multiple CGI types)

"Understanding HTTP isn't just about knowing the protocol - it's about building it from the ground up."

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
default		default
prod		prod
.gitignore		.gitignore
CGI.cpp		CGI.cpp
CGI.hpp		CGI.hpp
Makefile		Makefile
Request.hpp		Request.hpp
Server.cpp		Server.cpp
Server.hpp		Server.hpp
Webserv.cpp		Webserv.cpp
Webserv.hpp		Webserv.hpp
demo.gif		demo.gif
main.cpp		main.cpp
readme.md		readme.md

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WebServer - HTTP/1.0 Server Implementation in C++98

Project Overview

System Requirements

Team

Key Features

Core Functionality

Advanced Features (Bonus)

Project Structure

Known Limitations

Production Demo Sites

1. Main Demonstration Site

2. Pirate Stream (Featured Application)

Configuration

Configuration Structure

Global Directives

Server Block Configuration

Location Block Directives

CGI Behavior

Complete Configuration Example

Configuration Rules & Validation

Usage

Compilation

Running the Server

Testing

Technical Implementation

Non-blocking Architecture with epoll

HTTP Request Processing

CGI Execution

File Upload Handling

Cookie & Session Management

Standards Compliance

Testing

Dependencies

Project Achievements

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