blob: c12165a074595401a9847a37490cc4557c1a96cc [file] [log] [blame]
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" data-base-path="&#x2F;cpp-httplib">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>HTTPS Server - cpp-httplib</title>
<link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib/favicon.svg">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib/css/main.css">
<script>
(function() {
var t = localStorage.getItem('preferred-theme');
if (!t) t = window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: light)').matches ? 'light' : 'dark';
if (t === 'light') document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', 'light');
})();
</script>
</head>
<body>
<header class="header">
<div class="header-inner">
<a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib/en/" class="header-title">cpp-httplib <span style="font-size:0.75em;font-weight:normal;margin-left:4px">v0.35.0</span></a>
<div class="header-spacer"></div>
<nav class="header-nav">
<a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib/en/">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><path d="M3 9l9-7 9 7v11a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2z"/><polyline points="9 22 9 12 15 12 15 22"/></svg>
Home
</a>
<a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib/en/tour&#x2F;">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/><polygon points="16.24 7.76 14.12 14.12 7.76 16.24 9.88 9.88 16.24 7.76"/></svg>
Tour
</a>
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;yhirose&#x2F;cpp-httplib" aria-label="GitHub">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><path d="M9 19c-5 1.5-5-2.5-7-3m14 6v-3.87a3.37 3.37 0 0 0-.94-2.61c3.14-.35 6.44-1.54 6.44-7A5.44 5.44 0 0 0 20 4.77 5.07 5.07 0 0 0 19.91 1S18.73.65 16 2.48a13.38 13.38 0 0 0-7 0C6.27.65 5.09 1 5.09 1A5.07 5.07 0 0 0 5 4.77a5.44 5.44 0 0 0-1.5 3.78c0 5.42 3.3 6.61 6.44 7A3.37 3.37 0 0 0 9 18.13V22"/></svg>
GitHub
</a>
</nav>
<div class="header-tools">
<button class="theme-toggle" aria-label="Toggle theme"></button>
<div class="lang-selector">
<button class="lang-btn" aria-label="Language">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/><line x1="2" y1="12" x2="22" y2="12"/><path d="M12 2a15.3 15.3 0 0 1 4 10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1-4 10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1-4-10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1 4-10z"/></svg>
EN
</button>
<ul class="lang-popup">
<li><a href="#" data-lang="en">EN</a></li>
<li><a href="#" data-lang="ja">JA</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<button class="sidebar-toggle" aria-label="Menu">&#9776;</button>
</div>
</header>
<div class="layout has-sidebar">
<aside class="sidebar">
<nav class="sidebar-nav">
<div class="nav-section">
<a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;" class="nav-section-title active">A Tour of cpp-httplib</a>
<ul class="nav-list">
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;01-getting-started&#x2F;" class="">Getting Started</a></li>
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;02-basic-client&#x2F;" class="">Basic Client</a></li>
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;03-basic-server&#x2F;" class="">Basic Server</a></li>
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;04-static-file-server&#x2F;" class="">Static File Server</a></li>
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;05-tls-setup&#x2F;" class="">TLS Setup</a></li>
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;06-https-client&#x2F;" class="">HTTPS Client</a></li>
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;07-https-server&#x2F;" class="active">HTTPS Server</a></li>
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;08-websocket&#x2F;" class="">WebSocket</a></li>
<li><a href="&#x2F;cpp-httplib&#x2F;en&#x2F;tour&#x2F;09-whats-next&#x2F;" class="">What&#x27;s Next</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</nav>
</aside>
<main class="content">
<article>
<h1>HTTPS Server</h1>
<p>In the previous chapter, you used an HTTPS client. Now let's set up your own HTTPS server. Just swap <code>httplib::Server</code> from Chapter 3 with <code>httplib::SSLServer</code>.</p>
<p>A TLS server needs a server certificate and a private key, though. Let's get those ready first.</p>
<h2>Creating a Self-Signed Certificate</h2>
<p>For development and testing, a self-signed certificate works just fine. You can generate one quickly with an OpenSSL command.</p>
<div class="code-dark"><pre style="background-color:#2d2d2d;">
<span style="color:#6699cc;">openssl</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> req</span><span style="color:#f2777a;"> -x509 -noenc -keyout</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> key.pem</span><span style="color:#f2777a;"> -out</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> cert.pem</span><span style="color:#f2777a;"> -subj</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> /CN=localhost
</span></pre>
</div><div class="code-light"><pre style="background-color:#eff1f5;">
<span style="color:#8fa1b3;">openssl</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> req</span><span style="color:#bf616a;"> -x509 -noenc -keyout</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> key.pem</span><span style="color:#bf616a;"> -out</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> cert.pem</span><span style="color:#bf616a;"> -subj</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> /CN=localhost
</span></pre>
</div>
<p>This creates two files:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><code>cert.pem</code></strong> — Server certificate</li>
<li><strong><code>key.pem</code></strong> — Private key</li>
</ul>
<h2>A Minimal HTTPS Server</h2>
<p>Once you have your certificate, let's write the server.</p>
<div class="code-dark"><pre style="background-color:#2d2d2d;">
<span style="color:#cc99cc;">#define </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">CPPHTTPLIB_OPENSSL_SUPPORT
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">#include </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">httplib.h</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">#include </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&lt;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">iostream</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&gt;
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">int </span><span style="color:#6699cc;">main</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">() {
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> httplib::SSLServer </span><span style="color:#6699cc;">svr</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">cert.pem</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;, &quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">key.pem</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> svr.</span><span style="color:#6699cc;">Get</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">/</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;, [](</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">const auto </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&amp;, </span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">auto </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&amp;res) {
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> res.</span><span style="color:#6699cc;">set_content</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">Hello, HTTPS!</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;, &quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">text/plain</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> });
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> std::cout &lt;&lt; &quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">Listening on https://localhost:8443</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot; &lt;&lt; std::endl;
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> svr.</span><span style="color:#6699cc;">listen</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">0.0.0.0</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;, </span><span style="color:#f99157;">8443</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">}
</span></pre>
</div><div class="code-light"><pre style="background-color:#eff1f5;">
<span style="color:#b48ead;">#define </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">CPPHTTPLIB_OPENSSL_SUPPORT
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">#include </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">httplib.h</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">#include </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&lt;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">iostream</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&gt;
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">int </span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">main</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">() {
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> httplib::SSLServer </span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">svr</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">cert.pem</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;, &quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">key.pem</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> svr.</span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">Get</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">/</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;, [](</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">const auto </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&amp;, </span><span style="color:#b48ead;">auto </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&amp;res) {
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> res.</span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">set_content</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">Hello, HTTPS!</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;, &quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">text/plain</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> });
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> std::cout &lt;&lt; &quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">Listening on https://localhost:8443</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot; &lt;&lt; std::endl;
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> svr.</span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">listen</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">0.0.0.0</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;, </span><span style="color:#d08770;">8443</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">}
</span></pre>
</div>
<p>Just pass the certificate and private key paths to the <code>httplib::SSLServer</code> constructor. The routing API is exactly the same as <code>httplib::Server</code> from Chapter 3.</p>
<p>Compile and start it up.</p>
<h2>Testing It Out</h2>
<p>With the server running, try accessing it with <code>curl</code>. Since we're using a self-signed certificate, add the <code>-k</code> option to skip certificate verification.</p>
<div class="code-dark"><pre style="background-color:#2d2d2d;">
<span style="color:#6699cc;">curl</span><span style="color:#f2777a;"> -k</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> https://localhost:8443/
</span><span style="color:#747369;"># Hello, HTTPS!
</span></pre>
</div><div class="code-light"><pre style="background-color:#eff1f5;">
<span style="color:#8fa1b3;">curl</span><span style="color:#bf616a;"> -k</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> https://localhost:8443/
</span><span style="color:#a7adba;"># Hello, HTTPS!
</span></pre>
</div>
<p>If you open <code>https://localhost:8443</code> in a browser, you'll see a "This connection is not secure" warning. That's expected with a self-signed certificate. Just proceed past it.</p>
<h2>Connecting from a Client</h2>
<p>Let's connect using <code>httplib::Client</code> from the previous chapter. There are two ways to connect to a server with a self-signed certificate.</p>
<h3>Option 1: Disable Certificate Verification</h3>
<p>This is the quick and easy approach for development.</p>
<div class="code-dark"><pre style="background-color:#2d2d2d;">
<span style="color:#cc99cc;">#define </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">CPPHTTPLIB_OPENSSL_SUPPORT
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">#include </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">httplib.h</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">#include </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&lt;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">iostream</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&gt;
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">int </span><span style="color:#6699cc;">main</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">() {
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> httplib::Client </span><span style="color:#6699cc;">cli</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">https://localhost:8443</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> cli.</span><span style="color:#6699cc;">enable_server_certificate_verification</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(</span><span style="color:#f99157;">false</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> </span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">auto</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> res = cli.</span><span style="color:#6699cc;">Get</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">/</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> </span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">if </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(res) {
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> std::cout &lt;&lt; res-&gt;</span><span style="color:#f2777a;">body </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&lt;&lt; std::endl; </span><span style="color:#747369;">// Hello, HTTPS!
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> }
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">}
</span></pre>
</div><div class="code-light"><pre style="background-color:#eff1f5;">
<span style="color:#b48ead;">#define </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">CPPHTTPLIB_OPENSSL_SUPPORT
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">#include </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">httplib.h</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">#include </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&lt;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">iostream</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&gt;
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">int </span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">main</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">() {
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> httplib::Client </span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">cli</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">https://localhost:8443</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> cli.</span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">enable_server_certificate_verification</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(</span><span style="color:#d08770;">false</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> </span><span style="color:#b48ead;">auto</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> res = cli.</span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">Get</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">/</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> </span><span style="color:#b48ead;">if </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(res) {
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> std::cout &lt;&lt; res-&gt;</span><span style="color:#bf616a;">body </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&lt;&lt; std::endl; </span><span style="color:#a7adba;">// Hello, HTTPS!
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> }
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">}
</span></pre>
</div>
<h3>Option 2: Specify the Self-Signed Certificate as a CA Certificate</h3>
<p>This is the safer approach. You tell the client to trust <code>cert.pem</code> as a CA certificate.</p>
<div class="code-dark"><pre style="background-color:#2d2d2d;">
<span style="color:#cc99cc;">#define </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">CPPHTTPLIB_OPENSSL_SUPPORT
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">#include </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">httplib.h</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">#include </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&lt;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">iostream</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&gt;
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">
</span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">int </span><span style="color:#6699cc;">main</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">() {
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> httplib::Client </span><span style="color:#6699cc;">cli</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">https://localhost:8443</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> cli.</span><span style="color:#6699cc;">set_ca_cert_path</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">cert.pem</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> </span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">auto</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> res = cli.</span><span style="color:#6699cc;">Get</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#99cc99;">/</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> </span><span style="color:#cc99cc;">if </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">(res) {
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> std::cout &lt;&lt; res-&gt;</span><span style="color:#f2777a;">body </span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">&lt;&lt; std::endl; </span><span style="color:#747369;">// Hello, HTTPS!
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;"> }
</span><span style="color:#d3d0c8;">}
</span></pre>
</div><div class="code-light"><pre style="background-color:#eff1f5;">
<span style="color:#b48ead;">#define </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">CPPHTTPLIB_OPENSSL_SUPPORT
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">#include </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">httplib.h</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">#include </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&lt;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">iostream</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&gt;
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">
</span><span style="color:#b48ead;">int </span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">main</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">() {
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> httplib::Client </span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">cli</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">https://localhost:8443</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> cli.</span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">set_ca_cert_path</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">cert.pem</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> </span><span style="color:#b48ead;">auto</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> res = cli.</span><span style="color:#8fa1b3;">Get</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(&quot;</span><span style="color:#a3be8c;">/</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&quot;);
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> </span><span style="color:#b48ead;">if </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">(res) {
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> std::cout &lt;&lt; res-&gt;</span><span style="color:#bf616a;">body </span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">&lt;&lt; std::endl; </span><span style="color:#a7adba;">// Hello, HTTPS!
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;"> }
</span><span style="color:#4f5b66;">}
</span></pre>
</div>
<p>This way, only connections to the server with that specific certificate are allowed, preventing impersonation. Use this approach whenever possible, even in test environments.</p>
<h2>Comparing Server and SSLServer</h2>
<p>The <code>httplib::Server</code> API you learned in Chapter 3 works exactly the same with <code>httplib::SSLServer</code>. The only difference is the constructor.</p>
<table><thead><tr><th></th><th><code>httplib::Server</code></th><th><code>httplib::SSLServer</code></th></tr></thead><tbody>
<tr><td>Constructor</td><td>No arguments</td><td>Certificate and private key paths</td></tr>
<tr><td>Protocol</td><td>HTTP</td><td>HTTPS</td></tr>
<tr><td>Port (convention)</td><td>8080</td><td>8443</td></tr>
<tr><td>Routing</td><td>Same</td><td>Same</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>To switch an HTTP server to HTTPS, just change the constructor.</p>
<h2>Next Steps</h2>
<p>Your HTTPS server is up and running. You now have the basics of both HTTP/HTTPS clients and servers covered.</p>
<p>Next, let's look at the WebSocket support that was recently added to cpp-httplib.</p>
<p><strong>Next:</strong> <a href="../08-websocket">WebSocket</a></p>
</article>
</main>
</div>
<footer class="footer">
&copy; 2026 yhirose. All rights reserved.
</footer>
<script src="&#x2F;cpp-httplib/js/main.js"></script>
</body>
</html>