micro-httpd is a very small HTTP server all in 150 lines of code. It runs from inetd, which means its
performance is poor. But for low-traffic sites, it is quite adequate. It implements all the basic
features of an HTTP server, including:
* Security against ".." filename snooping.
* The common MIME types.
* Trailing-slash redirection.
* index.html
* Directory listings.
To install it, add a line like this to /etc/inetd.conf:
micro-http stream tcp nowait nobody \
/usr/sbin/micro-httpd micro-httpd dir
Make sure the path to the executable is correct, and change "dir" to be the directory you want to serve.
You could add line like this to /etc/services:
micro-http port/tcp #Micro HTTP server
Change "port" to the port number you want to use: 80, 8000, whatever. Restart inetd by sending it a
"HUP" signal.
On some systems, inetd has a maximum spawn rate - if you try to run inetd services faster than a certain
number of times per minute, it assumed there is either a bug of an attack going on and it shuts down for
a few minutes. If you run into this problem - look for syslog messages about too-rapid looping - you will
need to find out how to increase the limit. Unfortunately this varies from OS to OS. On FreeBSD, you add
a "-R 10000" flag to inetd's initial command line. On some Linux systems, you can set the limit on a per-
service basis in inetd.conf, by changing "nowait" to "nowait.10000".
Note that you can use micro-httpd to serve HTTPS, if you like, by running it from stunnel. First fetch
and install stunnel - FreeBSD users can just go to /usr/ports/security/stunnel and do a "make cert ; make
install". Then as root run:
stunnel -p /usr/local/certs/stunnel.pem -d 443 -l \
/usr/sbin/micro-httpd -- micro-httpd dir
Make sure the paths to the certificate and executable are correct, and again don not forget to change
"dir" to the directory you want to serve.