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API Reference

Types​

Server​

Main server structure containing socket, address, client list, and router list.

client_t​

Represents a connected client with socket and address info.

Mode​

Server binding mode:

  • DEV - localhost only (127.0.0.1)
  • PROD - all interfaces (0.0.0.0)

method_t​

HTTP methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, FAIL

HandlerFunc​

Function pointer type for route handlers:

typedef char *(*HandlerFunc)(void);

Note: Returned char * is automatically freed by the framework.

Functions​

server_init(port, max_clients, backlog, mode)​

Server *server_init(int port, int max_clients, int backlog, Mode mode);

Creates and initializes a new server instance.

  • Returns: Server * on success, NULL on failure
  • Parameters: port number, max concurrent clients, connection queue size, binding mode

server_start(server)​

int server_start(Server *server);

Starts the server and begins accepting connections.

  • Returns: 1 on successful shutdown, -1 on error
  • Note: This function blocks until interrupted
  • Signal Handling: Automatically handles SIGINT (Ctrl+C) to free all resources and shutdown gracefully

server_free(server)​

void server_free(Server *server);

Frees all server resources and shuts down the server.

  • Note: Only use for error handling or if server_start() was not called

server_add_route(server, method, path, handler)​

int server_add_route(Server *server, method_t method, path_t path, HandlerFunc handler);

Registers a new route with a handler function.

  • Returns: 1 on success, 0 on failure
  • Parameters: server instance, HTTP method, URL path, handler function

server_remove_route(server, method, path)​

int server_remove_route(Server *server, method_t method, path_t path);

Removes a route from the server.

  • Returns: 1 if removed, 0 if not found

Usage​

#include <CExpress/server.h>

char *hello_handler(void) {
    char *response = malloc(50);
    strcpy(response, "Hello World!");
    return response;
}

int main(void) {
    Server *server = server_init(8080, 10, 5, DEV);
    server_add_route(server, GET, "/hello", hello_handler);
    server_start(server);
    return 0;
}