BWS Web Server

High-performance, multi-site web server built with Rust and Cloudflare's Pingora framework.

Features

• Multi-Site Hosting - Multiple websites with individual configurations
• Automatic SSL/TLS - Let's Encrypt integration with auto-renewal
• Reverse Proxy & Load Balancing - Multiple algorithms and WebSocket support
• Hot Reload - Zero-downtime configuration updates
• Memory Safety - Rust eliminates buffer overflows and memory leaks
• Enterprise Ready - Production-grade reliability and management

Quick Start

Instant Directory Server

# Serve current directory on port 80
bws .

# Serve specific directory on custom port
bws /path/to/website --port 8080

Installation

# From crates.io
cargo install bws-web-server

# From Docker
docker run -d -p 8080:8080 ghcr.io/benliao/bws:latest

# From source
git clone https://github.com/benliao/bws.git && cd bws
cargo build --release

Configuration-Based Setup

Create config.toml for production:

[server]
name = "BWS Server"

[[sites]]
name = "main"
hostname = "localhost"
port = 8080
static_dir = "static"
default = true

[sites.ssl]
enabled = false

# Multiple sites on same port (virtual hosting)
[[sites]]
name = "blog"
hostname = "blog.localhost"
port = 8080
static_dir = "static-blog"

# Reverse proxy setup
[[sites]]
name = "api"
hostname = "api.localhost"
port = 8080

[sites.proxy]
enabled = true

[[sites.proxy.upstreams]]
name = "backend"
url = "http://127.0.0.1:3001"

[[sites.proxy.routes]]
path = "/api/"
upstream = "backend"

# HTTPS with automatic certificates
[[sites]]
name = "secure"
hostname = "example.com"
port = 443

[sites.ssl]
enabled = true
auto_cert = true

[sites.ssl.acme]
enabled = true
email = "[email protected]"

Run

# Quick start - serve directory
bws static --port 8080

# With configuration file
bws -c config.toml

# Validate configuration first
bws -c config.toml --dry-run

Architecture

BWS uses a modular, enterprise-grade architecture:

src/
├── core/              # Foundation: types, error handling
├── config/            # Configuration management
├── handlers/          # Request processing (static, API, proxy, WebSocket)
├── middleware/        # CORS, security headers, rate limiting
├── monitoring/        # Health checks, metrics, certificate monitoring
├── server/            # Server infrastructure
└── ssl/               # SSL/TLS and certificate management

CLI Options

bws                                  # Use config.toml  
bws --config custom.toml             # Custom config file
bws /path/to/directory               # Serve directory directly
bws /path/to/directory --port 8080   # Custom port
bws --verbose                        # Enable debug logging
bws --daemon                         # Background process (Unix only)
bws --dry-run                        # Validate configuration

Configuration Validation

Validate before deployment:

# Validate configuration
bws --config config.toml --dry-run

# Validate before starting
bws --config production.toml --dry-run && bws --config production.toml

The validator checks:

• TOML syntax and schema compliance
• Static directories and index files
• SSL certificates and ACME settings
• Proxy upstream configurations
• Port conflicts and virtual hosting setup

Hot Reload

Update configuration without restarting:

# Reload via API
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/reload

# Using signals (Unix)
kill -HUP $(pgrep -f "bws.*master")

What can be reloaded:

• Site configurations and hostnames
• SSL certificates and ACME settings
• Proxy routes and upstreams
• Static file directories
• Security headers

Note: Server ports require restart.

API Endpoints

BWS provides monitoring and management APIs:

• GET /api/health - Server health status
• GET /api/health/detailed - Detailed system information
• GET /api/sites - List configured sites
• POST /api/reload - Hot reload configuration

Example:

curl http://localhost:8080/api/health
curl http://localhost:8080/api/sites | jq
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/reload

Docker

# Quick start
docker run -d -p 8080:8080 ghcr.io/benliao/bws:latest

# With custom config
docker run -d \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v $(pwd)/config.toml:/app/config.toml:ro \
  -v $(pwd)/static:/app/static:ro \
  ghcr.io/benliao/bws:latest

Security

• Memory Safety: Rust prevents buffer overflows and memory leaks
• Zero Panics: Comprehensive error handling throughout
• Security Headers: HSTS, CSP, XSS protection built-in
• Path Traversal Protection: Secure static file serving
• Rate Limiting: Configurable request throttling

Documentation

• Quick Start Guide
• Configuration Guide
• Hot Reload Guide
• Architecture Guide
• API Documentation
• Security Guide

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/name)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/name)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

Licensed under the MIT License.

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BWS - Enterprise-grade web serving, simplified.