Member Avatar for tiger86

I've decided to write a Website in C++. I am sick of dealing with languages that layer on top of other languages, so I just want to write it in C++. I know about CGI++, but I was wondering if there were any other tools or methods used for writing a site in C++.

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If your goal is to keep everything in C++, you do not have to stick with plain CGI/FastCGI. Modern C++ web frameworks let you run a long‑lived HTTP server, define routes, render templates, talk to databases, and expose JSON APIs, all from C++. Examples worth evaluating: Drogon (async, built‑in HTTP server, controllers/ORM/templates), Wt (server‑side widget toolkit that abstracts most HTML/JS), and Oat++ (lightweight REST framework with Swagger tooling). These avoid the fork‑per‑request overhead you would hit with classic CGI and make ’s point concrete: you will still produce HTML or JSON, but C++ can generate it directly. See each project’s docs for capabilities and getting started guides: Drogon, , Oat++.

Minimal example with Drogon:

#include <drogon/drogon.h>
int main() {
  using namespace drogon;
  app().registerHandler("/hello",
    [](const HttpRequestPtr&, auto&& cb){
      auto res = HttpResponse::newHttpResponse();
      res->setContentTypeCode(CT_TEXT_HTML);
      res->setBody("<h1>Hello from C++</h1>");
      cb(res);
    });
  app().run(); // run behind nginx/apache as a reverse proxy
}

Practical stack: serve static assets via nginx/Apache; proxy dynamic requests to your C++ app; use a robust DB client such as libpqxx for PostgreSQL or a higher‑level layer like SOCI when you want portability across MySQL/PostgreSQL/SQLite. Parameterize queries and HTML‑encode untrusted output to avoid injection issues. References: libpqxx, SOCI.

Finally, a small correction to ’s note: WordPress core is written in PHP (the official requirements list PHP and MySQL/MariaDB), not in C. WordPress requirements.

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All 11 Replies

Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

Other than for the pure challenge of doing it, I see no reason to write a web site in c++ since there are other markup languages more suited for the task. I don't write web sites but my guess is that not a single one of them were written in pure C or C++.

Member Avatar for fantasma

What's the need to reinvent the wheel? Do you have some special project that doesn't fits in any web oriented base language?

For example PHP is open source and based on C, so why not building the web site on that language?

Member Avatar for VernonDozier

You could certainly write a C++ program that could send the following output to stdout:

<html>
  <body>Hello World</body>
</html>

but I imagine you'd have to stick it in the cgi-bin folder and type

in the browser. If you stick it in the html folder and try to browse to

it won't execute without some tweaking of permissions, mime types, configuration files, etc., so even if you want everything in C++, it's going to be a matter of doing at least SOME html, I would imagine, and calling your C++ program from there.

Member Avatar for tiger86

Hey Vernon,
Yes, I will have to mess with CGI. I will do it as Fast CGI with C++ for now and possibly convert it to pure C++ later.

I was hoping there were some tutorials or some really good documentation on this. I've been reading the documentation for fastcgi++, but the more you learn the better.

Edited by tiger86 because: n/a
Member Avatar for tiger86

What's the need to reinvent the wheel? Do you have some special project that doesn't fits in any web oriented base language?

For example PHP is open source and based on C, so why not building the web site on that language?

That is just it fantasma, PHP is BASED on C. Layered languages are usually like onions in my mind. I've used PHP, I've used rails. I believe it is better to write a project from scratch, not use something pre-packaged like PHP. That is purely my own belief and I am not going to force it on anyone else.

Ancient, Wordpress is written in C.

Edited by tiger86 because: n/a
Member Avatar for VernonDozier

Two C libraries that may be useful to you (libcurl and libxml). Most of the cgi programs I write are in C and I use these a lot. The website itself is written in Flex, with some PHP in there, but the CGIs are in C. These two libraries help a lot with GETing, POSTing, etc., and creating/parsing xml.

http://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/c/
http://xmlsoft.org/

You might also be interested in MySQL++, which I've used in the past for database interaction.

http://tangentsoft.net/mysql++/


Good luck!

Member Avatar for Sky Diploma

I've been to a seminar in which the guy made up a website in C# with Visual Studio. However on later observation. Only the backend was written in C#. All of the front end was generated in HTML and php codes itself. Maybe you should check it out then.It myt suit your requirement.

Cause I'm sure that it will convert all source languages to its interpreter language.

Sorry If I'm wrong.

Member Avatar for tiger86

Vernon thank you for answering my question. Sky Diploma, I am thinking about using CGI and XSL for the front end.

I am an app developer for Apple. My apps can easily be ported to android. So I think it would be good to make my site as an app in C++, release it for mobile phones and then if that is succesful make the website.
Most Website usage is via mobile phones nowadays.

Member Avatar for invadev

It is good to try c++ for a website you will find more challenges and it is cool. Although, I can make my own website using high-level language but I choose C++ for the website applications.

Edited by pritaeas because: Removed self-promotion link.
Member Avatar for Saurabh_12

using php cpp you can build website..

Member Avatar for zelrick

"I'm sure tiger86 had been sitting in front of their computers for four years just waiting for your response. Good Job."

It makes me laugh even this will be the second time around.

credits to WaltP, his original post:

"I'm sure Ahmed and Vicky had been sitting in front of their computers for two years just waiting for your response. Good Job."

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