Boa (web server) explained

Author:	Paul Phillips
Developer:	Larry Doolittle and Jon Nelson
Released:	circa 1995
Discontinued:	yes
Latest Release Version:	0.94.13
Latest Preview Version:	0.94.14rc21
Operating System:	Cross-platform
Genre:	Web server
Language:	C
License:	GPLv2

Boa is a discontinued since 2005 open-source small-footprint web server that is suitable for embedded applications. Originally written by Paul Phillips, it was previously maintained by Larry Doolittle and Jon Nelson.

Slashdot and Fotolog use Boa to serve images.^[1]

As of its last release, Boa has the following limitations:

• No access control features (HTTP Basic access authentication, etc.)
• No chroot option (planned)
• No Server Side Includes (deemed incompatible with server performance goals)
• No SSL support although there are some patches against 0.94.13 that introduce SSL support

As of 2022 Boa is still used in many embedded applications, and its known vulnerabilities have been actively exploited.^[2]

See also

• Comparison of web servers

References

1. Book: Network Security, Firewalls, and VPNS. 9781538803721. 2017-10-24.
2. Web site: Burt . Jeff . Discontinued Boa web servers still a supply chain threat . 2022-11-24 . www.theregister.com . en.

External links

• • Source code on GitHub
• An Overview of the Boa Web Server
• Boa: an Embedded Web Server
• User Interface Design using CGI Programming and Boa Web Server on M5249C3 Board
• Reviving boa
• Mailing List