Basic HTTP Server in C

A lightweight and efficient HTTP server implementation in C that supports basic routing, static file serving, and both GET and POST requests. This server is designed for development and learning purposes.

Features

• Simple and clean API inspired by modern web frameworks
• Support for both GET and POST requests
• Static file serving capability
• Route patterns with wildcard support (/path/*)
• Cross-platform compatibility (Windows and Linux)
• Built-in debugging mode
• Memory-efficient string and list implementations
• Support for serving various content types (HTML, JSON, images, etc.)
• Basic request and response handling

Prerequisites

Windows

• GCC compiler (MinGW)
• ws2_32 library (Windows Sockets 2)

Linux

• GCC compiler
• Standard C libraries

Building the Library

Windows

rm -f libserver.a && gcc -c server.c -o server.o -lws2_32 && gcc -shared -o server.dll server.o -lws2_32

Linux

gcc -c server.c && ar rcs libserver.a server.o

Compilation and Running

Windows

gcc demo.c -L. -lserver && ./a.exe

Linux

gcc demo.c -L. -lserver && ./a.out

Usage Example

Here's a basic example showing how to create a simple web server:

#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include "server.h"

#define HOST "0.0.0.0"
#define PORT 8080
#define DEBUG 1

// Route handler for home page
void home(server *self, str *response, list *headers, str *content_buffer) {
    send_file(response, "templates/demo.html");
}

// Route handler for API endpoint
void api(server *self, str *response, list *headers, str *content_buffer) {
    response->append(response, "HTTP/1.1 200 OK\r\nContent-Type: application/json\r\n\r\n");
    response->append(response, "{\"status\": \"success\"}");
}

int main() {
    server app = http_server();
    
    // Define routes
    app.route(&app, "GET", "/", home);
    app.route(&app, "POST", "/api", api);
    
    // Start the server
    app.run(&app, HOST, PORT, DEBUG);
    return 0;
}

API Reference

Server Functions

• http_server(): Creates a new server instance
• server.route(server*, method, path, callback): Registers a new route
• server.run(server*, host, port, debug): Starts the server
• server.stop(server*): Stops the server gracefully

Utility Functions

• send_file(str *response, char *filename): Sends a file as response
• send_file_with_header(str *response, char *filename, char *header): Sends a file with custom headers

String and List Operations

The server includes custom implementations for string and list operations:

• String(): Creates a new string buffer
• List(): Creates a new list for header storage

Route Patterns

The server supports two types of route patterns:

1. Exact matches: /path
2. Wildcard patterns: /path/*

Debug Mode

When debug mode is enabled (DEBUG=1), the server will output:

• Client connection details
• Request information
• Response status codes
• Error messages

Limitations

• Development server only - not recommended for production use
• Basic HTTP/1.1 implementation
• Limited security features
• No SSL/TLS support
• Single-threaded operation

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues, fork the repository, and create pull requests for any improvements.

Acknowledgments

This server implementation is designed for educational purposes and as a learning tool for understanding HTTP servers and network programming in C.