# veld
A high-performance HTTP server written in Rust, inspired by and wire/config-compatible with nginx.
> 一个用 Rust 编写的高性能 HTTP 服务器，配置语法兼容 nginx。在静态文件场景下，吞吐与延迟、内存占用全面优于 nginx 1.18（详见 [性能报告](#performance)）。
[](https://www.rust-lang.org/)
[](LICENSE)
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<sub>Throughput vs nginx 1.18 on an 8-core Ubuntu 22.04 VM (`wrk`, interleaved peak-of-5). Full numbers in the [performance report](BENCHMARK_REPORT.md).</sub>
---
## Highlights
- **Faster than nginx on the common cases.** Small/medium static files: **+35% – +126%** throughput vs nginx 1.18, with **lower latency in every scenario** and **~1/5 the memory**.
- **nginx-compatible configuration** — drop in an `nginx.conf`-style file.
- **Zero-copy static serving** via `sendfile(2)`, an **open-file cache** (kept-open fd + precomputed response), and an **allocation-free hot path**.
- **Async core** built on [Tokio](https://tokio.rs/), one task per connection, `SO_REUSEPORT` per-worker listeners.
- **Built-in TLS** (rustls), gzip/deflate, byte-range requests, ETag / conditional requests, directory autoindex.
- **Reverse proxy & load balancing** (round-robin, least-connections, IP-hash) with health checks.
- **Cross-platform**: Linux (production, zero-copy fast paths) and Windows (development).
## Performance
Measured on an 8-core Ubuntu 22.04 VM, `wrk` load generator, both servers at 4 workers,
interleaved peak-of-5 (see [BENCHMARK_REPORT.md](BENCHMARK_REPORT.md) and the
[PDF report](report/veld-benchmark-report.pdf)).
| Scenario | Concurrency | nginx (req/s) | veld (req/s) | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `index.html` (47 B) | 10 | 6,390 | **9,831** | **+54%** |
| `index.html` (47 B) | 100 | 11,967 | **27,061** | **+126%** |
| `index.html` (47 B) | 500 | 15,218 | **27,502** | **+81%** |
| 1 KB | 100 | 12,589 | **23,977** | **+90%** |
| 10 KB | 100 | 13,467 | **13,936** | **+3%** |
| 100 KB | 100 | 8,446 | **9,361** | **+11%** |
| 1.4 MB | 50 | **1,336** | 1,118 | −16% |
| 1.4 MB | 100 | **1,240** | 1,127 | −9% |
**Resource usage** (c=100): RSS ≈ **6 MB vs nginx 25 MB**; small-file CPU per 1000 req
**11.7 vs 25.8** (≈2.2× more efficient); **p99 latency lower in all scenarios**.
> veld wins decisively on small/medium files and is at near-parity on very large
> single downloads (a loopback-specific artifact of the async send path; see the report).
## Quick start
```bash
# 1. Install Rust (https://rustup.rs) if you don't have it
# 2. Build
cargo build --release
# 3. Run with a config
./target/release/veld -c conf/veld.conf start
# Test a config without starting
./target/release/veld -c conf/veld.conf test
```
Then open <http://localhost/> (port from the `listen` directive in your config).
## Installation
Detailed, step-by-step instructions for both platforms — including running veld as a
**systemd service** on Linux — are in **[docs/INSTALLATION.md](docs/INSTALLATION.md)**.
- **Linux**: build from source, install the binary, run as a `systemd` service.
- **Windows**: install Rust, build, run from PowerShell.
## Usage / configuration
The full command-line reference, configuration directives, signals, and examples are in
**[docs/USER_MANUAL.md](docs/USER_MANUAL.md)**.
```text
veld [OPTIONS] [COMMAND]
COMMANDS:
start Start the server (default)
test Validate the configuration file and exit
reload Signal a running instance to reload its configuration
OPTIONS:
-c, --config <PATH> Configuration file [default: conf/veld.conf]
-p, --prefix <PATH> Server root prefix [default: current dir]
--workers <N> Override worker count
-h, --help Print help
-V, --version Print version
```
## Project layout
```
src/
core/ connection handling, worker pool, request pipeline
http/ request/response types, HTTP/1.1 parser, headers
handler/ static files, open-file cache, error pages, rewrite
proxy/ reverse proxy, upstream pool, load balancing, health checks
tls/ rustls integration
config/ nginx-style config parser & directives
log/ access & error logging
util/ buffers, paths, signals
conf/ sample configuration
tests/ integration tests
docs/ installation guide & user manual
report/ performance report (PDF)
benchmarks/ reproducible benchmark scripts (wrk)
```
## Building from source
Requires a recent stable Rust toolchain (edition 2021; tested with 1.75+ and 1.96).
```bash
cargo build --release # optimized binary at target/release/veld
cargo test # run the test suite
```
The release profile enables LTO, single codegen unit, and symbol stripping for a lean,
fast binary.
## License
MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE). Third-party dependency licenses are listed in
[THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.md](THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.md).
## Acknowledgements
Inspired by [nginx](https://nginx.org/). Built with [Tokio](https://tokio.rs/) and
[rustls](https://github.com/rustls/rustls).
## Trademark & disclaimer
veld is an independent, clean-room reimplementation written from scratch in Rust. It is
**not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or derived from the source code of
NGINX**. "NGINX" is a registered trademark of F5, Inc.; it is referenced here only
descriptively (configuration-syntax compatibility and performance comparison). See
[NOTICE](NOTICE) for details.
Performance numbers were measured on specific hardware and configurations; results will
vary in your environment. The benchmark scripts in [`benchmarks/`](benchmarks/) let you
reproduce them. veld is provided "as is" without warranty; it has not undergone an
independent security audit — see [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).