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        Embeddable mini webserver supports XP, XP Embedded

        Staff | Date: Jan 29, 2004 | Comments: 1


        As Internet connectivity weaves its way into virtually every electronic device, the demand grows for functionality such as embedded web servers and services. Startup Mbedthis Software is addressing this opportunity with a new product called AppWeb, which it describes as a highly secure HTTP webserver designed specifically for embedded applications.



        "Existing enterprise HTTP servers are poorly suited for embedding, and current embedded web servers have made compromises on security and functionality to meet memory footprint requirements" noted Mbedthis founder and lead architect Michael O'Brien. "What has been needed is a highly secure embedded web server that does not compromise on performance, functionality or standards".

        According to O'Brien, AppWeb uses a modular multi-threaded core to implement a highly secure HTTP server also offers high performance, complete functionality, and small memory footprint. Required features can be selected at runtime, enabling RAM memory footprints as small as 110KB, alghough a typical implementation would be 400-500KB, notes O'Brien.

        AppWeb's modular design supports basic and digest authentication modules, as well as a number of SSL modules, including Peersec's MatrixSSL, a small, dual-licensed open source SSL library with a memory footprint under 50K that is currently beta testing. "Now you can have SSL on low-end embedded devices, and have an extremely secure web server with digest authentication," O'Brien notes. O'Brien says he is also working with Mocana to get its commercial SSL library supported.

        AppWeb uses an Apache-style configuration schema and supports prevailing page creation environments such as PHP, Perl, and Python, as well as service side JavaScript and Embedded Server Pages -- all of which should make it easy to migrate Apache applications so the embedded webserver. Additionally, it supports standards such as SSL, digest authentication, HTTP/1.1, and CGI.

        O'Brien says AppWeb is distributed under a dual-license model: it's available under both a commercial license as well as an open source GNU license, and Mbedthis offers support and a security enhancement service as options.

        The software and documentation are available for download here. Versions for Windows (which should work fine with XP Embedded) and Linux are currently available for download. (The Windows binaries are included in the Windows download package, and source is also available under the choice of licenses.)

        O'Brien says AppWeb does not currently support Windows CE or Pocket PC, but that they are under consideration for possible future development. "The cross platform core is already done," he notes.