Package: wnpp
Severity: wishlist
* Package name : publicfile
Version : 0.52
Upstream Contact: Daniel J. Bernstein, https://cr.yp.to/lists.html#publicfile
* URL : https://cr.yp.to/publicfile.html
* License : Public Domain
Programming Lang: C
Description : http and ftp server by Daniel J. Bernstein
publicfile supplies files to the public through HTTP and FTP.
.
Security features:
- Before accepting any commands, publicfile chroot()s to the public file area
and sheds root privileges.
- doesn't let users log in. Intruders can't use publicfile to
check your usernames and passwords.
- refuses to supply files that are unreadable to owner, unreadable
to group, or unreadable to world.
- never attempts to modify the public file area. It refuses all
HTTP and FTP modification commands.
- never runs any other programs. It does not support HTTP CGI or
FTP SITE EXEC.
.
HTTP features: publicfile supports:
- virtual hosts through the Host field as well as through absolute URLs.
- HTTP/1.1 persistent connections and chunked responses.
- user-controlled content types.
- exact-prefix If-Modified-Since.
.
FTP features: publicfile:
- has built-in LIST and NLST commands. You don't have to bother
setting up bin/ls, shared libraries, et al. inside the public file area.
- provides EPLF LIST responses, including options "i", "s", and "m".
- supports restarted transfers and pipelining.
- uses local ports above 1024 for PORT connections.
- prohibits remote ports below 1024 for PORT and prohibits PORT relaying.
- includes automatic PASV IP protection.
.
Next to upstream code, this package contains three simple small shellscripts
by the package maintainter: ad1810-autoindex - a tool to genetate index.html
from directory listings; get-publicfile-docs - a tool to download and
install publicfile documentation; and update-publicfile-contenttype -
helpful in making publicfile give suitable MIME types with files served.
.
publicfile was written in 1999 and didn't change a lot after that.
Modern features are not supported. However, if you're
looking for a small, simple and secure webserver, which integrates with
the runit and daemontools UNIX service managers, publicfile will suit
your needs.
I've been maintaining this package since 2014; it is at
https://salsa.debian.org/debian/publicfile/ . Since 2024 publicfile is in the
Public Domain: its license no longer blocks it from being shipped w/ Debian.
See also Bug #1076635 "publicfile-installer: Re: publicfile distribution
license".
Thanks, Bye,
Joost
