libwebsockets
A lightweight, secure, pure C library for building scalable client and server applications with HTTP/1, HTTP/2, WebSockets, and MQTT.
What is libwebsockets?
Libwebsockets is a pure C networking library that provides client and server implementations for modern protocols like HTTP/1, HTTP/2, WebSockets, and MQTT. It solves the problem of building secure, scalable, and lightweight networked applications across environments ranging from resource-constrained embedded systems to high-performance cloud servers.
C developers building networked applications, including those working on embedded systems, IoT devices, servers, or clients that require efficient, multi-protocol communication with strong security.
Developers choose Libwebsockets for its pure C implementation, extensive protocol support, security-first TLS integration, and exceptional flexibility in event loop and deployment options, all while maintaining a small footprint and scalability.
Overview
canonical libwebsockets.org networking library
Use Cases
Best For
- Building lightweight WebSocket servers for real-time applications
- Creating embedded IoT devices with secure MQTT or HTTP communication
- Developing cross-platform clients and servers in pure C
- Implementing secure, multi-protocol proxies or gateways
- Adding network connectivity to resource-constrained RTOS environments
- Simplifying networked application code with the Secure Streams abstraction
Related Projects
uWebSocketsSimple, secure & standards compliant web server for the most demanding of applications
KCP:zap: KCP - A Fast and Reliable ARQ Protocol
Cpp-HttpLibA C++ header-only HTTP/HTTPS server and client library
MuduoEvent-driven network library for multi-threaded Linux server in C++11
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