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BaseHTTPServer

You can use this to make a simple HTTP web server.

Contents

BaseHTTPServer
Discussion

Official Documentation

BaseHTTPServer module documentation - what we use directly
SocketServer module documentation - behind the BaseHttpServer

Example Code

Responding with an HTML Page

Toggle line numbers

   1 import time
   2 import BaseHTTPServer
   3 
   4 
   5 HOST_NAME = 'example.net' # !!!REMEMBER TO CHANGE THIS!!!
   6 PORT_NUMBER = 80 # Maybe set this to 9000.
   7 
   8 
   9 class MyHandler(BaseHTTPServer.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
  10     def do_HEAD(s):
  11         s.send_response(200)
  12         s.send_header("Content-type", "text/html")
  13         s.end_headers()
  14     def do_GET(s):
  15         """Respond to a GET request."""
  16         s.send_response(200)
  17         s.send_header("Content-type", "text/html")
  18         s.end_headers()
  19         s.wfile.write("<html><head><title>Title goes here.</title></head>")
  20         s.wfile.write("<body><p>This is a test.</p>")
  21         # If someone went to "http://something.somewhere.net/foo/bar/",
  22         # then s.path equals "/foo/bar/".
  23         s.wfile.write("<p>You accessed path: %s</p>" % s.path)
  24         s.wfile.write("</body></html>")
  25 
  26 if __name__ == '__main__':
  27     server_class = BaseHTTPServer.HTTPServer
  28     httpd = server_class((HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER), MyHandler)
  29     print time.asctime(), "Server Starts - %s:%s" % (HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER)
  30     try:
  31         httpd.serve_forever()
  32     except KeyboardInterrupt:
  33         pass
  34     httpd.server_close()
  35     print time.asctime(), "Server Stops - %s:%s" % (HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER)

Responding with URL Redirection

This code demonstrates simple URL redirection:

Toggle line numbers

   1 """
   2 URL redirection example.
   3 """
   4 
   5 import BaseHTTPServer
   6 import time
   7 import sys
   8 
   9 
  10 HOST_NAME = 'example.net' # !!!REMEMBER TO CHANGE THIS!!!
  11 PORT_NUMBER = 80 # Maybe set this to 9000.
  12 REDIRECTIONS = {"/slashdot/": "http://slashdot.org/",
  13                 "/freshmeat/": "http://freshmeat.net/"}
  14 LAST_RESORT = "http://google.com/"
  15 
  16 class RedirectHandler(BaseHTTPServer.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
  17     def do_HEAD(s):
  18         s.send_response(301)
  19         s.send_header("Location", REDIRECTIONS.get(s.path, LAST_RESORT))
  20         s.end_headers()
  21     def do_GET(s):
  22         s.do_HEAD()
  23 
  24 if __name__ == '__main__':
  25     server_class = BaseHTTPServer.HTTPServer
  26     httpd = server_class((HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER), RedirectHandler)
  27     print time.asctime(), "Server Starts - %s:%s" % (HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER)
  28     try:
  29         httpd.serve_forever()
  30     except KeyboardInterrupt:
  31         pass
  32     httpd.server_close()
  33     print time.asctime(), "Server Stops - %s:%s" % (HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER)

Parameterizing

When you want to make your server respect some parameters, it's easiest to do so via the server, rather than the handler.

That is, make a subclass of the server, that accepts some additional parameters. Have the server record those parameters.

Then, in the handler, use s.server to get to the server, and access the parameters through it.

Discussion

I'd ultimately like to see a BaseHttpServer here that can both handle XML-RPC requests (with that request handler,) and normal web requests (with a custom handler.)

Yes- I know and love TwistedPython. But I want to make something that works in a single install. -- LionKimbro 2004-05-31 01:13:16

I'd also like to add code here showing how to service a POST request.

-- LionKimbro 2004-07-03 23:07:53

There exist tools like CherryPy which will create a single-file Python HTTP server (based on BaseHTTPServer). This is a fair amount easier to work with than the raw BaseHTTPServer. For most cases, using a more complete framework will be preferable (see WebProgramming). -- IanBicking

I like the BaseHttpServer because it is in the default Python distributions. I encourage all work towards putting a standard web framework into the default Python distribution. I'm not picky, just as long as something is chosen. -- LionKimbro 2005-01-25 04:53:53

What's the matter with server_close()? I can call the method, but it is undocumented (see http://docs.python.org/lib/node634.html). Could someone knowledgable either remove the calls, or add a comment why they're necessary? Thanks. -- Anonymous Coward, 23 Oct 2007

-  ⇤ ← Revision 1 as of 2004-05-31 00:56:49 → 
  Size: 1107
  Editor: dsl254-010-130
  Comment: How to make a very simple web server.
+   ← Revision 14 as of 2008-11-15 14:00:56 → ⇥
  Size: 4693
  Editor: localhost
  Comment: converted to 1.6 markup
-Deletions are marked like this.
+Additions are marked like this.
 Line 1:
-Scratch code, demonstrating a simple HTTP server:
+= BaseHTTPServer =

You can use this to make a simple HTTP web server.

<<TableOfContents>>

== Official Documentation ==

 * [[http://docs.python.org/lib/module-BaseHTTPServer.html|BaseHTTPServer module documentation]] - what we use directly
 * [[http://docs.python.org/lib/module-SocketServer.html|SocketServer module documentation]] - behind the BaseHttpServer

== Example Code ==

=== Responding with an HTML Page ===
-Line 9:
+Line 22:
-HOST_NAME = 'something.somewhere.net'
PORT_NUMBER = 80
+HOST_NAME = 'example.net' # !!!REMEMBER TO CHANGE THIS!!!
PORT_NUMBER = 80 # Maybe set this to 9000.
-Line 13:
+Line 26:
-class MyHandler( BaseHTTPServer.BaseHTTPRequestHandler ):
+class MyHandler(BaseHTTPServer.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
-Line 23:
+Line 36:
-        s.wfile.write( "<html><head><title>Title goes here.</title></head><body><p>This is a test.</p></body></html>" )
+        s.wfile.write("<html><head><title>Title goes here.</title></head>")
        s.wfile.write("<body><p>This is a test.</p>")
        # If someone went to "http://something.somewhere.net/foo/bar/",
        # then s.path equals "/foo/bar/".
        s.wfile.write("<p>You accessed path: %s</p>" % s.path)
        s.wfile.write("</body></html>")
-Line 27:
+Line 45:
-    httpd = server_class( (HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER),
                          MyHandler )
+    httpd = server_class((HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER), MyHandler)
-Line 34:
+Line 51:
-    httpd.close()
+    httpd.server_close()
-Line 38:
+Line 55:
-See also: DocXmlRpcServer
+=== Responding with URL Redirection ===

This code demonstrates simple URL redirection:

{{{
#!python
"""
URL redirection example.
"""

import BaseHTTPServer
import time
import sys


HOST_NAME = 'example.net' # !!!REMEMBER TO CHANGE THIS!!!
PORT_NUMBER = 80 # Maybe set this to 9000.
REDIRECTIONS = {"/slashdot/": "http://slashdot.org/",
                "/freshmeat/": "http://freshmeat.net/"}
LAST_RESORT = "http://google.com/"

class RedirectHandler(BaseHTTPServer.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    def do_HEAD(s):
        s.send_response(301)
        s.send_header("Location", REDIRECTIONS.get(s.path, LAST_RESORT))
        s.end_headers()
    def do_GET(s):
        s.do_HEAD()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    server_class = BaseHTTPServer.HTTPServer
    httpd = server_class((HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER), RedirectHandler)
    print time.asctime(), "Server Starts - %s:%s" % (HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER)
    try:
        httpd.serve_forever()
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        pass
    httpd.server_close()
    print time.asctime(), "Server Stops - %s:%s" % (HOST_NAME, PORT_NUMBER)
}}}

== Parameterizing ==

When you want to make your server respect some parameters, it's easiest to do so via the ''server,'' rather than the ''handler.''

That is, make a subclass of the server, that accepts some additional parameters. Have the server record those parameters.

Then, in the handler, use {{{s.server}}} to get to the server, and access the parameters through it.

== See Also ==

 * DocXmlRpcServer -- self-documenting XML-RPC servers
 * CgiScripts -- using invoked CGI scripts, rather than running micro-web servers

= Discussion =

I'd ultimately like to see a BaseHttpServer here that can both handle XML-RPC requests (with ''that'' request handler,) and normal web requests (with a custom handler.)

Yes- I know and love TwistedPython. But I want to make something that works in a single install. -- LionKimbro <<DateTime(2004-05-31T01:13:16Z)>>

I'd also like to add code here showing how to service a POST request.

-- LionKimbro <<DateTime(2004-07-03T23:07:53Z)>>

There exist tools like CherryPy which will create a single-file Python HTTP server (based on BaseHTTPServer).  This is a fair amount easier to work with than the raw BaseHTTPServer.  For most cases, using a more complete framework will be preferable (see WebProgramming).  -- IanBicking

I like the BaseHttpServer because it is in the default Python distributions. I encourage all work towards putting a standard web framework into the default Python distribution. I'm not picky, just as long as something is chosen. -- LionKimbro <<DateTime(2005-01-25T04:53:53Z)>>

What's the matter with server_close()? I can call the method, but it is undocumented (see [[http://docs.python.org/lib/node634.html]]). Could someone knowledgable either remove the calls, or add a comment why they're necessary? Thanks. -- Anonymous Coward, 23 Oct 2007

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