Simple File Server

This is a basic TCP file server implemented in C using the socket API. It listens for incoming connections and sends the requested file to the client.

How It Works

1. Creates a TCP socket.
2. Binds to port 8080 (0x901f in hex, which is little-endian for 8080).
3. Listens for incoming connections.
4. Accepts a client connection.
5. Reads the client's request (expects an HTTP-like request format: GET /filename).
6. Extracts the requested filename and attempts to open it.
7. Sends the file's contents back to the client.
8. Closes the connection.

Prerequisites

• A Linux-based system with GCC installed.
• Basic understanding of sockets and system calls.

Compilation

Compile the server using:

gcc -o file_server file_server.c

Usage

Run the server:

./file_server

Then, from another terminal, request a file using wget:

wget -O downloaded_file.txt http://localhost:8080/testfile.txt

Notes

• The server expects a request in the format GET /filename.
• It does not handle HTTP responses properly and sends only raw file data.
• The buffer size for sendfile is limited to 256 bytes, which may not work well for larger files.
• This implementation lacks error handling for invalid or missing files.

Disclaimer

This is a minimal implementation and should not be used in production. It lacks security measures such as input validation and proper error handling.