Question 1

How do I enable SSL in Onion?

Accepted Answer

Compile Onion with gnutls libraries enabled, then set certificates using the API and check the O_SSL_ACTIVATED flag. If SSL support isn't compiled in, the interface remains but setting certificates will fail.

Question 2

Onion vs libmicrohttpd: which is better for embedded HTTP?

Accepted Answer

Onion offers more features like a Django-like templating system and flexible threading out of the box, while libmicrohttpd is more minimal. Choose Onion if you need integrated templating or systemd support; libmicrohttpd for simpler, bare-bones HTTP serving.

Question 3

Does Onion support WebSockets for real-time communication?

Accepted Answer

No, Onion does not natively support WebSockets. It focuses on HTTP server capabilities, so for real-time features, you'd need to implement WebSockets separately or use another library that complements it.

Question 4

How to handle sessions in Onion?

Accepted Answer

Onion supports sessions via optional backends like sqlite3 or Redis when compiled with those dependencies. Use the session API to manage user data, but note that setup requires additional libraries.

Question 5

Can I use Onion to build a REST API in C?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Onion is well-suited for building REST APIs in C by defining URL handlers for different HTTP methods. Its otemplate engine can generate dynamic responses, but JSON handling might need extra libraries.

Question 6

What are the performance trade-offs with Onion's threading modes?

Accepted Answer

Thread pool mode using epoll offers high concurrency, but tuning thread counts is crucial. Single-threaded mode is simpler but less scalable, and per-connection threading can overhead—benchmark based on your workload.

Onion

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