Question 1

How to run bashttpd to serve multiple clients at once?

Accepted Answer

Use socat with the 'fork' option, as shown in the README: 'socat TCP4-LISTEN:8080,fork EXEC:/usr/local/bin/bashttpd'. This spawns a new process for each connection, allowing concurrent serving without immediate exit after the first request.

Question 2

Is bashttpd secure enough for a public website?

Accepted Answer

No, bashttpd is not secure for production. The creator explicitly warns against running it on public machines due to rudimentary input handling and lack of security features like authentication or HTTPS, as noted in the Security section.

Question 3

Bashttpd vs Python's simple HTTP server: which is better for learning?

Accepted Answer

Bashttpd is written in bash and focuses on transparency for understanding HTTP basics at a shell level, while Python's http.server is more robust but may obscure low-level details. Choose bashttpd for hands-on shell scripting education and Python's server for practical, low-risk testing with better protocol support.

Question 4

Can bashttpd handle dynamic content or server-side scripting?

Accepted Answer

No, bashttpd is designed for static file serving only. It serves text and HTML files with MIME type detection using /usr/bin/file, but does not support executing scripts or generating dynamic responses, limiting it to basic educational or local tasks.

Question 5

What are the main drawbacks of using bashttpd?

Accepted Answer

Key drawbacks include no authentication, limited HTTP protocol support (barely HTTP/1.0), security vulnerabilities from rudimentary input handling, and inefficiency for multiple connections without manual forking, as detailed in the Limitations and HTTP protocol sections.

Question 6

How do I configure bashttpd to show directory listings?

Accepted Answer

Bashttpd allows configuration based on URIs; you need to edit the generated bashttpd.conf file to enable directory listings for specific paths, as per the features that mention showing directory listings when configured.

Question 7

Why would anyone use a web server written in bash?

Accepted Answer

Primarily for educational purposes: to learn how HTTP servers work at a low level, experiment with shell scripting in a web context, or create lightweight local servers for testing without complex dependencies, as emphasized in the project's philosophy and target audience.

bashttpd

What is bashttpd?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions