VeTiS (Very Tiny Server)

A blazingly fast, minimalist HTTP server built for modern Rust applications

VeTiS is a lightweight yet powerful web server that brings simplicity and performance together. Designed with Rust's safety guarantees in mind, it delivers HTTP/1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 support with a clean, intuitive API that makes building web services a breeze.

History

VeTiS started as a component of deboa-tests, a private crate used by deboa http client for integration testing purposes, as it got more features, like HTTP1/2 and 3 support, alongside TLS, I realized project could be reused somehow.

So with reusability in mind, I started EasyHttpMock, a project which aims to be a quick and easy way to start a mock server for integration purposes, it didn't took too much to realized this internal http server used by EasyHttpMock could be reused for other purposes than simply be a mock server.

That's why VeTiS came to reality, by taking advantage of what I started on deboa-tests for testing purposes, it turned into a complete http server project, the goal is make it very flexible, while keeping it small and fast.

Why VeTiS?

• Minimalist Design: Focus on what matters - serving HTTP requests efficiently
• Flexible Runtime: Choose between Tokio or Smol async runtimes
• Protocol Support: Full HTTP/1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 implementation
• Secure by Default: Built-in TLS support with modern cryptography
• Zero-Cost Abstractions: Leverage Rust's performance without overhead
• Feature-Gated: Include only what you need for optimal binary size

Quick Start

Add VeTiS to your Cargo.toml:

vetis = { version = "0.1.0", features = ["tokio-rt", "http2", "tokio-rust-tls"] }

Runtimes

• tokio
• smol

Crate features

• tokio-rt (default)
• smol-rt
• http1
• http2 (default)
• http3
• tokio-rust-tls (default)

Usage Example

Here's how simple it is to create a web server with VeTiS:

use hyper::StatusCode;
use vetis::{
    Vetis,
    config::{ListenerConfig, SecurityConfig, ServerConfig, VirtualHostConfig},
    server::virtual_host::{VirtualHost, VirtualHost, handler_fn},
};

pub const CA_CERT: &[u8] = include_bytes!("../certs/ca.der");
pub const SERVER_CERT: &[u8] = include_bytes!("../certs/server.der");
pub const SERVER_KEY: &[u8] = include_bytes!("../certs/server.key.der");

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    std_logger::Config::logfmt().init();

    let https = ListenerConfig::builder()
        .port(8443)
        .protocol(vetis::config::Protocol::HTTP1)
        .interface("0.0.0.0")
        .build();

    let config = ServerConfig::builder()
        .add_listener(https)
        .build();

    let security_config = SecurityConfig::builder()
        .ca_cert_from_bytes(CA_CERT.to_vec())
        .cert_from_bytes(SERVER_CERT.to_vec())
        .key_from_bytes(SERVER_KEY.to_vec())
        .build();

    let localhost_config = VirtualHostConfig::builder()
        .hostname("localhost")
        .port(8443)
        .security(security_config)
        .build()?;

    let mut localhost_virtual_host = VirtualHost::new(localhost_config);

    let mut root_path = HandlerPath::new("/", handler_fn(|request| async move {
         let response = vetis::Response::builder()
             .status(StatusCode::OK)
             .text("Hello, World!");
         Ok(response)
    }));
     
    localhost_virtual_host.add_path(root_path);    

    let mut server = Vetis::new(config);
    server
        .add_virtual_host(localhost_virtual_host)
        .await;

    server.run().await?;

    server
        .stop()
        .await?;

    Ok(())
}

Overview

Core Features

• Virtual Hosts - Host multiple domains on a single server
• SNI Support - Server Name Indication for TLS
• Reverse Proxy - Route requests to backend services

Content & Security

• Static File Serving - Efficient static asset delivery
• Dynamic Content - Template rendering and content generation

Roadmap

VeTiS is continuously evolving! Here's what we're working on:

Core Features

• WebSockets - Real-time bidirectional communication
• Load Balancing - Distribute traffic across multiple servers

Content & Security

• Authentication - Multiple auth methods support
• Authorization - Fine-grained access control
• Logging - Comprehensive request and error logging

License

MIT

Author

Rogerio Pereira Araujo rogerio.araujo@gmail.com