# CERN httpd

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> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Early web server}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = CERN httpd
| logo                   = Httpd48x.gif
| screenshot             =
| caption                =
| author                 = [Tim Berners-Lee](/source/Tim_Berners-Lee),<br />[Ari Luotonen](/source/Ari_Luotonen),<br />[Henrik Frystyk Nielsen](/source/Henrik_Frystyk_Nielsen)
| developer              = [CERN](/source/CERN) / [World Wide Web Consortium](/source/World_Wide_Web_Consortium)
| released               = {{Start date and age|1990|12|24|df=yes}}
| latest release version = 3.0A
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|1996|07|15|df=yes}}<ref name="w3c"/>
| operating system       = [Unix](/source/Unix), [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like)
| platform               =
| language               = [C](/source/C_programming_language)
| discontinued           = yes
| genre                  = [Web server](/source/Web_server), [proxy server](/source/proxy_server)
| license                = [http://www.w3.org/COPYRIGHT.html MIT Copyright Statement] with acknowledgement to [http://www.w3.org/CERN.html CERN]
| website                = {{URL|https://www.w3.org/Daemon/}}
}}
'''CERN httpd''' (later also known as '''W3C httpd''') is an early, now discontinued, [web server](/source/web_server) ([HTTP](/source/HTTP)) [daemon](/source/daemon_(computing)) originally developed at [CERN](/source/CERN) from 1990 onwards by [Tim Berners-Lee](/source/Tim_Berners-Lee), [Ari Luotonen](/source/Ari_Luotonen)<ref name="why" /> and [Henrik Frystyk Nielsen](/source/Henrik_Frystyk_Nielsen).<ref name="w3c">[http://www.w3.org/Daemon/ Official CERN httpd page]</ref> Implemented in [C](/source/C_programming_language), it was the first [web server](/source/web_server) software.

== History ==
[[File:At Geneva 2024 444.jpg|thumb|right|This [NeXT Computer](/source/NeXT_Computer) used by [Tim Berners-Lee](/source/Tim_Berners-Lee) at CERN became the world's first web server]]
CERN httpd was originally developed on a [NeXT Computer](/source/NeXT_Computer) running [NeXTSTEP](/source/NeXTSTEP), and was later ported to other [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like) [operating system](/source/operating_system)s, [OpenVMS](/source/OpenVMS) and systems with unix emulation layers, e.g. OS/2 with emx+gcc. It could also be configured as a web [proxy server](/source/proxy_server).<ref name="w3c"/>
Version 0.1 was released in June 1991.<ref>[http://www.w3.org/Daemon/Features.html Change History for httpd]</ref>
In August 1991, Berners-Lee announced in the [Usenet newsgroup](/source/Usenet_newsgroup) ''alt.hypertext'' the availability of the [source code](/source/source_code) of the server daemon (named ''WWWDaemon'') and other [World Wide Web](/source/World_Wide_Web) software from the CERN [FTP](/source/FTP) site.<ref name="usenet">{{cite web|title=Tim Berners-Lee, Robert Cailliau, and the World Wide Web – Web development|url=http://www.livinginternet.com/w/wi_lee.htm#dev|access-date=26 July 2010|first=Bill|last=Stewart|publisher=Living Internet}}</ref><ref name="web-server-announcement">{{Cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.next.announce/c/avWAjISncfw?pli=1|title=WorldWideWeb wide-area hypertext app available|author=Tim Berners Lee|publisher=CERN|date=1991-08-20|access-date=2021-11-15|language=en}}</ref>

{{quote box|width = 200px|The original, first generation HTTP server which some call the [Volkswagen](/source/Volkswagen) of the Web.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=World Wide Web Consortium|access-date=23 January 2011|url=http://www.w3.org/Status#CERN|title=W3C Open Source Software – CERN Server|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211145111/http://www.w3.org/Status#CERN|archive-date=11 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
The server was presented on the [Hypertext 91 conference](/source/Hypertext_91_conference) in San Antonio and was part of the [CERN Program Library](/source/CERN_Program_Library) (CERNLIB).<ref name="usenet"/><ref>{{cite web|title=A Short History of the Web|url=http://www.netvalley.com/archives/mirrors/robert_cailliau_speech.htm |publisher=[NetValley](/source/NetValley)|access-date=21 July 2010|author=[Robert Cailliau](/source/Robert_Cailliau)|date=21 July 2010}}</ref>

Later versions of the server are based on the [libwww](/source/libwww) [library](/source/library_(computing)).<ref name="why">{{cite web|title=Why Libwww?|url=http://www.w3.org/Library/Activity.html|access-date=15 June 2010|date=5 August 1999|first=José|last=Kahan|publisher=World Wide Web Consortium}}</ref> The development of CERN httpd was later taken over by [World Wide Web Consortium](/source/World_Wide_Web_Consortium) (W3C), with the last release being version 3.0A of 15 July 1996.<ref name="w3c"/> From 1996 onwards, W3C focused on the development of the [Java](/source/Java_(programming_language))-based [Jigsaw](/source/Jigsaw_(server)) server.<ref>{{cite web|last=Baird-Smith|first=Anselm|title=W3C Activity: The CERN server|url=http://www.w3.org/Daemon/Activity.html|publisher=World Wide Web Consortium|access-date=21 July 2010|date=April 1996|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213113845/http://www.w3.org/Daemon/Activity.html|archive-date=13 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The initial version was [public domain software](/source/public_domain_software); the last one was under an [MIT License](/source/MIT_License).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140817185526/http://home.web.cern.ch/topics/birth-web/licensing-web The birth of the web Licensing the web] on cern.ch (2014, archived)</ref>

== Java rewrite ==
{{Infobox software
| title = Jigsaw
| logo = 
| screenshot = 
| author = Yves Lafon
| developer = Jigsaw Team
| discontinued = yes
| latest release version = 2.2.6 (April 10, 2007)
| programming language = [Java](/source/Java_(programming_language))
| platform = [Java](/source/Java_(software_platform))
| replaces = [CERN httpd](/source/CERN_httpd)
| standard = HTTP/1.1
| genre = Web server
| website = {{URL|https://www.w3.org/Jigsaw/}}
}} 

'''Jigsaw''' is a [web server](/source/web_server) software written in [Java](/source/Java_(programming_language)). It is the successor to [CERN httpd](/source/CERN_httpd), the first web server software ever, and was developed by the [World Wide Web Consortium](/source/World_Wide_Web_Consortium).

Jigsaw supports HTTP/1.1 and is a reference implementation for the W3C and an experimental platform for the Internet community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jigsaw Activity Statement |url=https://www.w3.org/Jigsaw/Activity.html |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=www.w3.org}}</ref> The server is configurable via HTML forms, and new Java classes can be added during operation.<ref>{{cite magazine|access-date=2024-02-03 |title=Puzzle in 14 Minuten |url=https://www.heise.de/ix/artikel/Puzzle-in-14-Minuten-505258.html |website=[heise.de](/source/Heise_online)|date=17 August 1996 |volume=1996 |issue=9 |page=108 |last1=Klute |first1=Rainer}} Artikel-Archiv iX 9/1996, Seite 108</ref>

The first released version was 1.0alpha1 and appeared in June 1996. Version 2.0.0 was completed on December 24, 1998. The last released version is 2.2.6 from April 10, 2007.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [CERN](/source/CERN)
* [Web server](/source/Web_server)
* [Comparison of web server software](/source/Comparison_of_web_server_software)
* [Apache Traffic Server](/source/Apache_Traffic_Server)
* [Web accelerator](/source/Web_accelerator), which discusses host-based HTTP acceleration
* [Proxy server](/source/Proxy_server), which discusses client-side proxies
* [Reverse proxy](/source/Reverse_proxy), which discusses origin-side proxies

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.w3.org/Daemon/ The historic W3C page for httpd]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170926223430/http://www.w3.org/History/19921103-hypertext/hypertext/WWW/Daemon/Basic.html The historic web site in the W3C archive of November 1992]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150717103715/http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html CERN republished her first website.]
* [https://www.w3.org/Jigsaw/ Homepage of W3C-Jigsaw Project]
* [https://www.w3.org/Daemon/ Homepage of CERN httpd]

{{Web server software}}
{{W3C standards}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cern Httpd}}
Category:Free web server software
Category:Discontinued software
Category:History of the Internet
Category:Software using the MIT license
Category:Public-domain software with source code
Category:CERN software

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [CERN httpd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN_httpd) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN_httpd?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.