A focused C++ web application server for latency‑sensitive workloads.
CETAN is a C++ web application server for Linux that lets you serve static content, host dynamic C++ applications, and build RESTful services using a dedicated C++ REST API. It’s designed for teams that care about performance, control, and security.
// Greeting service – /rest-101/greeting/hello-world class Greeting : public WebService { public: Greeting() : WebService("/greeting") {} Response hello_world() { Response resp(200); resp.body("<html>Hello, World!</html>"); return resp; } private: std::vector<Resource*> register_resources() const override { std::vector<Resource*> resources; resources.emplace_back(new Resource("GET", "/hello-world", &Greeting::hello_world)); return resources; } };
Core capabilities
Everything you need to host C++ web applications on Linux.
Static & dynamic web applications
Serve static files and dynamic C++ applications from the same server. Configure
applications in cetan_config.xml and deploy compiled .ctn artifacts
into the server’s lib directory.
CETAN REST API for C++
Build RESTful web services in C++ using the CETAN REST library. Define
WebService classes, register resources, and deploy them as applications
on the CETAN Web Application Server.
Safe secrets & secure configuration
Use Safe to store passwords, keys, and other secrets in encrypted .safe files.
Reference Safe entries from CETAN configuration to avoid hard‑coding sensitive values.
Security built in
TLS, authentication, IP filtering, and secret management.
TLS / HTTPS
Configure TLS certificates and keys in cetan_config.xml, including support
for encrypted private keys whose passphrases are stored in Safe. Serve traffic over HTTPS
with a single configuration.
Authentication
Protect resources using Basic or Bearer authentication. Integrate with LDAP, file‑based
user stores, API keys, or JWTs. Configure protect_resources to enforce
authentication on specific URL paths.
IP filtering
Restrict access by IP address or CIDR range using the IPFilter configuration. Choose whitelist or blacklist mode and define which clients can reach your applications.
Developer workflow
From Linux server to Windows IDE, with remote builds.
Linux‑first runtime
CETAN targets Linux servers with GLIBC++ ≥ 3.4 and a C++23‑capable g++
toolchain. Configure logging, TLS, authentication, IP filtering, and applications
through XML configuration files.
Remote development with NetBeans
Use Apache NetBeans on Windows with a Samba share and remote build host configuration. Edit code on a mapped drive, compile on the Linux server via SSH, and run applications directly in the target environment.
Documented end‑to‑end: Samba, NetBeans, C/C++ plugin, SSH build host, and path mapping.Advanced Examples
cetan-rest-201
Build an advanced REST application using dynamic parameters, file uploads,
JSON responses, and logging with SLog. This example extends
the concepts introduced in cetan-rest-101 and demonstrates
how to implement more complex REST services using the CETAN REST API.
Run CETAN Inside Docker
Learn how to deploy the CETAN Web Application Server inside a Docker
container using the prebuilt cetan-docker-latest.tar.gz image.
Includes instructions for preparing the CETAN home directory, mounting
configuration and security files, and starting the server securely.
Download CETAN
Server, Safe utilities, and REST API SDK.
CETAN Web Application Server
Linux binary distribution of the CETAN Web Application Server. Includes configuration templates and logging setup.
View downloadsSafe Utilities
Command-line tool for managing encrypted .safe files: create, add, list,
get, delete entries, generate salts and passwords, and compute HMACs.
CETAN REST API SDK
Headers and libraries for building C++ REST applications that run on the CETAN Web Application Server.
Get REST API SDKContact
Questions, feedback, or integration discussions.
Reach out
Whether you’re evaluating CETAN for a latency‑sensitive workload, integrating it into an existing platform, or exploring the REST API, we’d love to hear from you.