Strix - Lightweight C++ Web Server

Strix is a lightweight, multi-threaded web server framework built in modern C++ with cross-platform support for macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Features

• HTTPS Support: Runs on https://127.0.0.1:8080/ with self-signed certificates.
• Cross-Platform: Compatible with macOS, Linux, and Windows using platform-specific socket handling.
• Modern C++: Leverages C++23 features like concepts and <string_view> for efficiency.
• Thread Pool: Handles multiple connections concurrently with a configurable thread pool.
• Virtual Hosts: Supports routing based on hostnames.
• Static File Serving: Serves files from a specified directory.

Prerequisites

• CMake: Version 3.10 or higher for building the project.
• OpenSSL: Required for HTTPS support.
  • macOS: brew install openssl
  • Linux: sudo apt-get install libssl-dev (Ubuntu) or sudo yum install openssl-devel (CentOS)
  • Windows: Install via vcpkg or download from OpenSSL binaries
• C++ Compiler: Must support C++23 (e.g., GCC 13+, Clang 16+, MSVC 2022+).
  • macOS: Install Xcode or xcode-select --install for Clang.
  • Linux: sudo apt-get install g++ or equivalent.
  • Windows: Visual Studio 2022 with C++ tools or MinGW-w64.
• Git: For cloning the repository.

Setup

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/genyleap/strix.git
cd strix

Build Instructions

• You can use bootstrap method via PT project template.

 mkdir build
 cd build
 cmake .. -DUSE_JSON=true -DUSE_OPENSSL=true -DDUSE_ZLIB=true
 make

macOS

1. Install Dependencies:

   brew install cmake openssl

   Ensure OpenSSL is in your path (e.g., /usr/local/opt/openssl).

2. Generate Build Files:

   mkdir build && cd build
   cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang++ -DOPENSSL_ROOT_DIR=/usr/local/opt/openssl ..

3. Build:

   make

4. Run:

   ./strix

Linux (e.g., Ubuntu)

1. Install Dependencies:

   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install cmake g++ libssl-dev

2. Generate Build Files:

   mkdir build && cd build
   cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=g++ ..

3. Build:

   make

4. Run:

   ./strix

Windows

1. Install Dependencies:

   • Install CMake and add it to your PATH.
   • Install OpenSSL via vcpkg:

     git clone https://github.com/Microsoft/vcpkg.git
     cd vcpkg
     .\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
     .\vcpkg integrate install
     .\vcpkg install openssl:x64-windows

   • Install Visual Studio 2022 with C++ Desktop Development workload, or MinGW-w64.

2. Generate Build Files:

   • Using Visual Studio:

     mkdir build && cd build
     cmake -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=[path_to_vcpkg]/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake ..

   • Using MinGW:

     mkdir build && cd build
     cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=g++ ..

3. Build:

   • Visual Studio: Open strix.sln in the build directory and build the strix target.
   • MinGW:

     mingw32-make

4. Run:

   • Visual Studio: Run from the debugger or build/Debug/strix.exe.
   • MinGW:

     .\strix.exe

Generate Self-Signed Certificates (Optional for HTTPS)

To enable HTTPS, generate a self-signed certificate:

openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out cert.pem -days 365 -nodes

Update your Config in main.cpp with paths to cert.pem and key.pem.

Usage

• Default server runs on http://127.0.0.1:8080/ (or https if configured).
• Customize main.cpp to add routes or handlers:

  server->addRoute("", "/hello", Strix::Request::Method::GET, std::make_unique<Strix::StaticFileHandler>("./html"));

Troubleshooting

• Segmentation Fault: Run with a debugger (e.g., lldb ./strix on macOS/Linux, Visual Studio Debugger on Windows) and check the backtrace (bt).
• OpenSSL Not Found: Ensure OPENSSL_ROOT_DIR is set correctly in CMake if it’s in a non-standard location.
• Compiler Errors: Verify C++23 support with your compiler (g++ --version, clang++ --version, or VS settings).

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Notes

• Cross-Platform Adjustments: The code already uses #ifdef _WIN32 for socket handling (e.g., winsock2.h vs. POSIX sockets), so it’s cross-platform.
• C++23: Specified C++23 explicitly since your code uses concepts (Loggable, RequestHandleable).
• OpenSSL: Provided platform-specific installation instructions.
• Build Systems: Covered Unix Makefiles (macOS/Linux), Visual Studio, and MinGW for Windows.