Lighttpd For Windows

PLEASE NOTE: Native Lighttpd Windows builds are available at http://en.wlmp-project.net/
The last available Lighttpd for Windows build that I created using Cygwin was Lighttpd for Windows 1.4.17.
Updated September 29, 2009.

If you a need for a small, fast lightweight web server and you’re running Windows, I have just the solution for you: Lighttpd For Windows. I created a setup package for it that does not need Cygwin on the host machine. Enjoy!
For all other information regarding Lighttpd, please visit the project’s site at http://www.lighttpd.net.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Jeff Nov 29, 2005 @ 17:04

    Kevin,
    You saved me! I’ve been fighting with Apache all day to get my rails app working properly. With your lighttpd and a little conf hackery I’m up and running. Thanks!

  • Kev Nov 30, 2005 @ 14:19

    You’re welcome Jeff, enjoy!

  • yongyut Dec 3, 2005 @ 3:24

    greate work ! please support add config ruby and php

  • daibatzu Dec 3, 2005 @ 5:23

    Great stuff. Could you also write a blog post explaining how to setup a simple rails app with lighttpd for windows?
    We should really work together to make this happen.
    Suggested fixes:
    1.) Ability to shutdown without presing control, alt, delete first
    2.) Server startup in a cmd prompt so that you can view errors and whatnot
    I’m a java programmer and not sure how you hacked this together, but will be most willing to help.

  • Necrogami Dec 3, 2005 @ 0:51

    so im taking your idea and trying to upgrade it …. having problems can i get some support from ya … maybe we can work together and update this so that windows users around have a alternative … i wanna add php and ruby to the package .. kinda like apachefriends but for lighttpd .. any input?
    Anton
    Phoenix Edge Network
    [email protected]

  • mismatched Dec 3, 2005 @ 17:33

    What version of the cygwin dll are you using? I would like to run this and copSSH (an opensshd package using cygwin1.dll) simultaneously but keep getting an error about mismatched cygwin dll versions. Thanks.

  • Youn Dec 4, 2005 @ 0:32

    Thanks for putting this together! Unfortunately the cygwin package is pretty outdated, so this is very welcome.
    I don’t think you need to add ruby or php to the package, since there are already clean windows installers for both of them. It would be nice if the installation detected them and set up the proper interfaces, however.
    It seems you have required the plugin DLLs (mod_*.dll) to be in C:progra~1lighttpdlib. Can you configure it so that lighttpd finds the library files if they are elsewhere, in the path?
    To mismatched: try installing a more recent version of copSSH, if there is one.

  • Kev Dec 4, 2005 @ 15:41

    Thanks for all the responses. Unfortunately, I do not have any experience using Ruby or Ruby on Rails, so that will require more research on my part. I did try to get PHP working with this Windows port and I have been unsuccessful up to this point. I have emailed Jeff, who left the first comment in this post, if he’d help us out, since he said he has Rails running. I will also continue trying to get PHP running on my own. If anybody out there has any helpful hints to either of these items (Rails or PHP) please leave a comment. Thanks again.

  • Necrogami Dec 4, 2005 @ 21:39

    I’ve gotten PHP to work but only with CGI not FastCGI to get FastCGI in windows it requires a Complete windows Build version because they didnt include the correct — commands during ./configure for the windows build it does not have full fastcgi support for address binding ruby on rails i havent even started on Kevin what did you use to build this .. any info you can give me would be awesome thanks
    Anton

  • Van Dec 5, 2005 @ 8:37

    I suspect the problem lies in the way lighttpd spawns PHP process via mod_fastcgi, as php.exe -v it did said “cgi-fcgi”. Actually I did successfully made PHP4+mod_fastcgi+Apache HTTPD work under Windows, and also the same for a generated rails app. (though not poked into the virtual host part)
    Hope it can help you on the effort on making the lighttpd installer for Windows… keep up the good work! :)

  • Kumar Dec 6, 2005 @ 1:49
  • Necrogami Dec 6, 2005 @ 4:27

    So i’ve got Lighttpd recomipled and Setup Made for 1.4.8 Some MODS Like
    C:lighttpd instead of C:Program Fileslighttpd
    Changes Default index.html to something more bland
    http://necrogami.homeip.net/lighttpd_1.4.8-base.exe

  • Kev Dec 6, 2005 @ 15:39

    Van: I’d be interested to see how you go PHP4+mod_fastcgi+Apache working.
    Kumar: You’re welcome.
    Necromagi: it looks good. How did you get around the compile errors? Do you have this working with PHP and FastCGI? Also FYI, your index.html page does not validate, although it may not matter to you – see here: http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A//necrogami.homeip.net/

  • Van Dec 6, 2005 @ 18:20

    These are the lines which I made into httpd.conf to make PHP4+mod_fastcgi+Apache working.
    PHP 4.4.1 + mod_fastcgi 2.4.2 + Apache HTTPD 2.0.54.
    As you may noticed, my mod_fastcgi is under the modules directory of apache HTTPD, PHP is @ c:php.
    —-8X—-
    LoadModule fastcgi_module modules/mod_fastcgi-2.4.2-AP20.dll
    ScriptAlias /fcgi-php/ “c:/php/”
    FastCgiServer “c:/php/php.exe” -processes 3
    SetEnv PHPRC c:/php
    AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
    Action application/x-httpd-php “/fcgi-php/php.exe”
    —-8X—-
    Actually I found the way to make it work @ here:
    http://www.dualface.com/blog/archives/2005/07/windows_apache_13_fastcgi_php.html
    Yes, it is written in Chinese, but the config directives are not :D

  • Necrogami Dec 6, 2005 @ 17:31

    i know my index dosnt validate i’ll fix it later on PHP is running under cgi mode only im working on a CYGwin build for Fastcgi but its not comming along too well Win PHP DOES NOT support the bind ability for Fastcgi Servers its been a known problem for over 2 years compile errors ..? like what ./configure –prefix=C:lighttpd;make all;make install; thats it im gonna be moving the Cygwin DLL Library’s to Windows System32 Folders to make it easier on Lighttpd and any additional modules to find the dll’s
    Anything else?
    Contact me @ forum.lighttpd.net i have a few windows Threads there

  • Kev Dec 7, 2005 @ 9:01

    Thanks for the replies. I will be closing comments on this thread. All future responses can be directed to forum.lighttpd.net or to contact me you may email:
    Please remove characters… (I do not want spam)