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CETAN Documentation

This documentation covers the CETAN Web Application Server, logging, TLS, authentication, IP filtering, Safe secrets, Safe utilities, development environment setup, and building C++ REST web services using the CETAN REST API.

Contents

Quickstart

This guide walks you through installing, configuring, and starting the CETAN Server on Linux. All examples use Ubuntu 24.04.2, but the steps apply to most modern Linux distributions.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your system includes:

  • Linux server with GLIBC++ version 4.3 or later.
  • A g++ stdc++23 compiler for building C++ web applications.
  • Permissions to install and run services.

Download the server

Download the latest CETAN Server package: Cetan Web Application Server.

Unpack the software

tar -xvf cetan-x.y.z.tar.gz

This extracts the server into a directory named CETAN_SERVER.

Edit the configuration file

The main configuration file is located at: CETAN_SERVER/config/cetan_config.xml. A full reference file (cetan_config_full_sample.xml) is also available in the same directory.

Update the <host> directive:

<host>example.com</host>

Replace example.com with your server’s hostname.

Set permissions and ownership

To improve security and simplify access control, configure group‑based permissions for the server directory.

Create the cetan user and group:

sudo adduser --system --no-create-home --group cetan

Assign ownership to cetan:

sudo chown -R cetan:cetan CETAN_SERVER

Apply secure permissions:

sudo chmod -R 770 CETAN_SERVER

Add users to the cetan group:

sudo usermod -aG cetan username

Replace username with the actual Linux user.

Start the CETAN server

First‑time startup:

bin/cetan start
  • Confirm first‑time startup (y or Y)
  • Create a server password
  • A default Safe store is created at security/cetan.safe

Subsequent startups:

bin/cetan start

Enter the server password created during the first startup.

Verify the server

Open your server URL http://example.com in a browser. The CETAN welcome page should appear, confirming the server is running.

Startup Options:

CETAN now provides additional command-line options to help you inspect startup parameters, automate deployments, and run the server with explicit settings.

View help:

bin/cetan help

View startup help:

bin/cetan help start

Displays all available options for the start command, including port selection, password injection, and runtime configuration flags.

Start the server with options:

bin/cetan start --port 2025 --password 12345

Use this form when automating startup or running CETAN in scripted or containerized environments.

About Safe

Safe is CETAN’s secure storage system for sensitive data, including the server password. A detailed Safe reference document is available in the next section.

Troubleshooting

Missing GLIBCXX version:

/lib64/libstdc++.so.6: version 'GLIBCXX_X.Y.Z' not found

Install or upgrade GLIBC++ to the required version and retry.

Other errors:

  • Continue to the logging configuration section
  • Check logs/cetan.log
  • Email error details to contact@cetan.io

Running the server in the background

To move a running foreground job to the background:

Ctrl+Z
bg
disown
exit

Congratulations — your CETAN Server is now installed, configured, and running.