HTTP Server using C++

A simple HTTP server using C++ and Winsock. This is a beginner project intended to learn. Therefore, the coding has a lot of indentation.

This would be a great start to learn how to make an HTTP server that outputs a basic HTTP response along with a HTML page to show on the web browser

Contents

• Building
• Technologies Used
• Commit Details

Prerequisites

This is only for windows as some of the components used are Windows only

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Building

• First the build files have to be generated using cmake. Here MinGW used , MinGW build files are generated using the -G flag and specified the build folder using -B flag

  cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" -B .\build\

• Then the executable have to be built using this:

  cmake --build .\build\

⚠️Here the build folder is .\build

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Technologies Used

• C++
• WinSock
• CMake
• gcc (for compiling C++)

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Commit Details

Sends data

• Sends a HTTP message with the HTML to show in the browser
• "index.html" is the file for the server to show to the client
• Added a file named "server_extra.cpp" which would hold all the definition for the functions used for aesthetic purpose.
• Here, a thing to be noted that, this extra things can be removed without compromising any functionality
• After Sending the data, the sockets are closed
• The cleanup and closing happens on the deletion of the server object

Listening to socket and Accepting Client Connection

• Starts Listening to the socket using the listen function
• Creates a Client socket
• Accepts the client socket when went into the url
• Created a port view to view the URL in terminal

Binded The Socket

• Binded the socket with the address which was picked up using getaddrinfo function
• After binding, the getaddrinfo function is no longer needed.
• The freeaddrinfo function is called to free the memory allocated by the getaddrinfo function for this address information.
• Added Documentation for all this

Created a socket

• Created a wrapper for using getaddrinfo function which provides protocol-independent translation from an ANSI host name to an address.
• Created a socket which the client will listen for connection with fault tolerance
• Added documentation for all this
• Added building process in the Readme.md

Added Readme

• Added a Readme.md describing the building process
• Adding documentation for the code

Initialised Winsock

• Initialised Winsock using the official documentation.
• Here, the Winsock is linked with the main using cmake.
• And, upon initialising or failing it outputs a message showing the status of the initialisation

Initial Commit

• Created all the boiler plate for the project including the main file and the Cmake file to build the source.