Tiny HTTP/HTTPS Server

A simple HTTP/HTTPS server written in C using OpenSSL for educational purposes. Supports both secure (HTTPS) and plain (HTTP) modes.

Running Modes

HTTPS Mode (Default)

Secure server with SSL/TLS encryption - requires certificates.

HTTP Mode (--no-tls flag)

Plain HTTP server without encryption - no certificates needed.

Setup Instructions

Option 1: Quick Start (HTTP Mode)

# Build the server
make

# Run as plain HTTP server (no certificates needed)
./.bin/tinyserver --no-tls

Test at: http://localhost:8080

Option 2: Secure HTTPS Mode

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Requires SSL certificates (NOT included for security reasons)

1. Generate SSL Certificates

# Generate private key (KEEP THIS SECRET!)
openssl genrsa -out server.key 2048

# Generate certificate signing request
openssl req -new -key server.key -out server.csr

# Generate self-signed certificate (for testing only)
openssl x509 -req -days 365 -in server.csr -signkey server.key -out server.crt

# Generate CA certificate (for client verification)
openssl req -new -x509 -days 365 -key server.key -out ca.crt

2. Run HTTPS Server

# Build the server
make

# Run as HTTPS server (default mode)
./.bin/tinyserver

Test at: https://localhost:8080

Note: You'll get a security warning because it's a self-signed certificate. This is normal for development.

Command Line Options

• No arguments: Run as HTTPS server (requires certificates)
• --no-tls: Run as plain HTTP server (no certificates needed)

File Structure

TinyServer/
├── src/
│   └── tinyserver.c    # Main server code
├── .bin/               # Compiled executables (auto-generated)
├── .obj/               # Object files (auto-generated)
├── makefile           # Build configuration
├── .gitignore         # Git ignore rules
└── README.md          # This file

# These files are created by you (NOT in git):
├── server.key         # Private key (NEVER commit!)
├── server.crt         # Server certificate
└── ca.crt            # CA certificate

Security Best Practices

• Never commit private keys (.key files) to version control
• Never commit certificates with real private keys to public repositories
• Use proper certificate authorities for production
• This is for educational purposes only - not production ready

Learning Objectives

This project demonstrates:

• C socket programming
• SSL/TLS encryption with OpenSSL
• HTTP protocol handling
• Certificate-based authentication
• Proper build system with Makefiles
• Command line argument parsing