next

PHP 8 server for smallweb protocols

Based on Ratchet asynchronous socket library

Features

• Async socket
• Multi-host
• Multi-protocol:
  • NEX
  • Gemini
• Connection event log
• Optional:
  • file navigation on directory request
  • custom index name
  • custom failure template
• Simple and flexible server configuration by CLI arguments

Install

• git clone https://github.com/YGGverse/next.git
• cd next - navigate into the project directory
• composer update - grab latest dependencies

Launch

Start

Create as many servers as wanted by providing different type, host, port and other arguments!

• for security reasons, next server prevents any access to the hidden files (started with dot)
• also, clients can't access any data out the root path, that defined on server startup

Startup example

php src/server.php type=nex host=127.0.0.1 port=1900 root=/target/dir

• host and port - optional arguments, read Arguments documentation for details!

Arguments

Default argument values are depending of server protocol selected

Some arguments also defined in default.json - do not change it without understanding, use CLI instead!

CLI

Provide arguments in key=value format, separated by space

Required

• type - server protocol, also auto-defines default port, supported options:
  • nex - NEX Protocol
• root - absolute path to the public directory, where browser navigation starting from

Optional

• host - default is 127.0.0.1 e.g. localhost connections only
• port - default value depends of server type selected, for example 1900 for nex or 1965 for gemini
• file - index file name that server try to open on directory path requested, disabled by default
• list - show content listing in the requested directory (when index file not found), enabled by default
• time - show file modification time as the alt text in directory listing (useful for gemfeed), disabled by default
• fail - absolute path to the failure template (e.g. /path/to/error.gmi), disabled by default
• dump - enable or disable server debug feature, enabled by default

Autostart

systemd

Following example mean you have next server installed into home directory of next user (useradd -m next)

# /etc/systemd/system/next.service

[Unit]
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=next
Group=next
ExecStart=/usr/bin/php /home/next/next/src/server.php type=nex root=/home/next/public
StandardOutput=file:/home/next/debug.log
StandardError=file:/home/next/error.log
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

• systemctl daemon-reload - reload systemd configuration
• systemctl enable next - enable service on system startup
• systemctl start next - start server