SVR.JS

SVR.JS is a web server running on Node.JS

Host a webpage, run server-side JavaScript, use mods to expand server functionality, or use it as a forward or reverse proxy — all in SVR.JS! SVR.JS is a web server that runs on top of Node.JS, thus enabling server-side JavaScript on webpages. SVR.JS also has an integrated log viewer, log highlighter, and user management tool. SVR.JS can run not only on Node.JS but also in Bun (experimental support).

Download SVR.JS installer for GNU/Linux
How do I install SVR.JS? How can I update it?
Download official SVR.JS mods
More download options
Change log

FEATURES

Free as in freedom

It's free as in freedom!

You don't need to worry about proprietary malware, "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting." windows (but you can visit it), crashes caused by non-genuine versions of server software, or universal backdoors planted by Big Tech. SVR.JS is licensed under the MIT (or X11) license, and it's open-source, so there are no secretly planted backdoors. SVR.JS is running on Node.JS, which is also free software (also MIT/X11 license). We have a Git repository, so you can contribute to SVR.JS!

Scalable

It's scalable!

SVR.JS is running on Node.JS, which is a JavaScript runtime using event-driven infrastructure, so SVR.JS is handling I/O-intensive operations pretty well. Additionally, SVR.JS is by default running in clusters, so it withstands more requests, server process hang-ups, and worker crashes.

Secure

It's secure!

We are putting the cybersecurity of your websites first. SVR.JS has a built-in URL sanitizer to prevent path traversal, protects sensitive data from brute force attacks on HTTP authentication by default, and forbids website visitors' access to sensitive configuration files. You can also configure SVR.JS to hide server-side JavaScript files and hide the server version. This way, bad actors will have a pretty hard time hacking your site (unless you're using vulnerable mods or vulnerable server-side JavaScript)! SVR.JS also has a built-in block list, so you can simply block those bad actors that might take control over your server. You can check which versions of SVR.JS are vulnerable.

Configurable

It's configurable!

You can configure SVR.JS through config.json file. You can also install mods and use server-side JavaScript! Focus on developing JavaScript web applications with SVR.JS!

SVR.JS IN ACTION

This video shows the process of developing a basic web application showing user's IP address using Node.JS and the SVR.JS API. HTML, CSS, and server-side JavaScript files are all in the public domain.

COMPARISON WITH COMPETITORS

SVR.JS lws http-server serve Apache httpd*
HTTP authentication
HTTP authentication
Yes (basic)
 Yes (basic) Yes (basic) No Yes (basic, digest)
HTTP authentication brute force prevention
HTTP authentication brute force prevention
Yes, enabled by default
 No No No Yes, via mod_security
HTTPS
HTTPS
Yes
 Yes Yes Yes Yes
OCSP stapling
OCSP stapling
Yes
 No No No Yes
CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
Yes, via RedBrick
 No No No Yes, via mod_cgi
SSI (Server-Side Includes)
SSI (Server-Side Includes)
Obsolete, via Berno
 No No No Yes, via mod_ssi
Server-side JavaScript
Server-side JavaScript
Yes, via Node.JS and SVR.JS API
 Yes, via Node.JS and Koa framework No No Experimental, via mod_js
HTTP compression
HTTP compression
Yes (br, gzip, deflate)
 Yes (br, gzip) Yes (br, gzip) Yes (gzip, deflate) Yes (br, gzip)
URL rewriting
URL rewriting
Yes, built-in
 Yes, via lws-rewrite No No Yes, via mod_rewrite
HTTP/2
HTTP/2
Yes
 Yes Yes No Yes
License
License
MIT
 MIT MIT MIT Apache 2.0
Architecture
Architecture
Event-driven + Clustered
 Event-driven Event-driven Event-driven Thread-based
*Apache httpd was included as a non-Node.JS-based reference
Comparison done on August 2023. Node.JS-based servers are compared based on source code analysis from corresponding GitHub repositories (with exception of SVR.JS, which has self-hosted git repository).

As you can see, SVR.JS is more similar in terms of functionality to traditional HTTP servers, like Apache httpd, and it's more advanced than some other Node.JS-based web servers. You can deploy your JavaScript web applications and use many features offered by traditional web servers without using any reverse proxy (using a reverse proxy, like NGINX or Apache httpd is common when deploying Node.JS-based web apps).

FAQ

What is a web server?

A web server is computer software that accepts HTTP requests and serves websites. Web servers can also be underlying hardware running web server software.

What is SVR.JS?

SVR.JS is web server software running on Node.JS that can host both static and dynamic content. With additional mods, SVR.JS can be used for different types of dynamic content and can even be used as a forward or reverse proxy. SVR.JS is licensed under a permissive MIT/X11 license.

How was SVR.JS created?

Someone in 2018 wanted to create a website, but he didn't know about setting up typical server software like Apache httpd, NGINX, or IIS... So he created his own web server in Node.JS to serve his website! And he saved it in a file called svr.js. Since then, this web server has been gradually turned from a web server intended for one website into a general-purpose web server. And this is now what SVR.JS is today! You can read more about the recent history of SVR.JS by deciphering The Book of ZSOiE!

How did SVR.JS get its name?

SVR.JS got its name from the original name of the server script: svr.js, one of many generic file names for a server written in JavaScript.

What is Node.JS?

Node.JS is an asynchronous event-driven JavaScript runtime built on Chromium's V8 engine. Node.JS is designed to build scalable network applications.

How can I use SVR.JS?

You can read its documentation to learn how to use the SVR.JS web server.