Lighttpd Cheat Sheet

Lighttpd (Lightweight HTTP Server) Cheat Sheet:

  1. Installation:
    • Linux: Use the package manager (e.g., apt-get, yum) to install lighttpd.
    • Windows: Download the Windows binary from the official website and run the installer.
  2. Configuration:
    • Main configuration file: /etc/lighttpd/lighttpd.conf (Linux) or lighttpd.conf (Windows).
    • Use a text editor to modify the configuration file.
    • Common configuration options:
      • server.document-root: Set the document root directory.
      • server.port: Set the port number to listen on.
      • server.username and server.groupname: Set the user and group for running the server.
      • server.modules: Enable or disable specific modules.
      • mimetype.assign: Define MIME types for file extensions.
      • accesslog.filename: Set the access log file path.
      • server.errorlog: Set the error log file path.
  3. Starting and stopping the server:
    • Linux: Use the service command (e.g., service lighttpd start/stop/restart).
    • Windows: Use the Lighttpd control panel or start/stop the service from the Services console.
  4. Virtual Hosts:
    • Enable virtual hosts by uncommenting the “include_shell” line in the configuration file.
    • Create separate configuration files for each virtual host (e.g., mysite.conf).
    • Add the necessary configurations for each virtual host, such as server.document-root and server.name.
  5. URL Rewriting:
    • Enable mod_rewrite by adding “mod_rewrite” to the server.modules configuration.
    • Use the “url.rewrite” option to define rewrite rules.

    • Example rewrite rule:

      url.rewrite = (
  "^/old-page$" => "/new-page",
  "^/category/(.*)$" => "/index.php?category=$1"
)
  6. SSL/TLS Configuration:
    • Enable mod_openssl by adding “mod_openssl” to the server.modules configuration.
    • Generate or obtain an SSL certificate and key.
    • Configure SSL options in the server configuration, such as ssl.pemfile and ssl.ca-file.
  7. FastCGI Configuration:
    • Enable mod_fastcgi by adding “mod_fastcgi” to the server.modules configuration.
    • Configure FastCGI options, such as fastcgi.server and fastcgi.map-extensions.
  8. Access Control:
    • Use the “url.access-deny” option to deny access to specific URLs or file extensions.
    • Use the “url.access-allow” option to allow access to specific URLs or file extensions.

    • Example access control rules:

      url.access-deny = ( "~", ".inc" )
url.access-allow = ( "/public" )
  9. Caching:
    • Enable mod_expire by adding “mod_expire” to the server.modules configuration.
    • Use the “expire.url” option to define caching rules based on URL patterns.

    • Example caching rule:

      expire.url = (
  "/static/" => "access plus 1 year",
  "/images/" => "access plus 1 month"
)
  10. Logging:
    • Access logs: Enable access logging by setting accesslog.filename in the configuration file.
    • Error logs: Set server.errorlog to specify the error log file path.

Remember to restart the server after making any changes to the configuration file for the changes to take effect.