[erlang-questions] inets for web services? (Tom Samplonius)

[Ingela Anderton Andin]

Tom Samplonius wrote:
[....]
>> Modules should have a default  value the required attributes of 
>> httpd.conf should be:  server_name, port, server_root, document_root.
>>     
>
>   Well, if Modules is not specified in the config file, I get this error:
>
> tom@REDACTED:~/erlang$
> tom@REDACTED:~/erlang$ erl -config inets
> Erlang (BEAM) emulator version 5.5.4 [source] [hipe]
>
> Eshell V5.5.4  (abort with ^G)
> 1> application:start(inets).
>
> =ERROR REPORT==== 26-Apr-2007::17:25:25 ===
> failed to create child spec for
> [{file,"/usr/home/tom/erlang/httpd.conf"}]
> due to: "httpd_conf: Modules must be specified in the config file"
> ok
>
>
> It seems pretty clear that "Modules" is both mandatory, and must be set.
>
>   
Well you are absolutely  right, there seems to be a glitch  between  the 
documentation and
the actual implementation. I will put it on the todo lists of 
improvements of the httpd-server.

[...]
> I'm interested in the later.  I was shocked to see that inets httpd is basically an Apache clone, so it is hard to get at the just the httpd bits.  I guess an Apache clone is useful if you want to enable a web server on your router.
>   
As I mentioned before we are working on improving the start options of 
the http-server so
that you should be able to start it as a dynamic service without a 
httpd.conf file.  The reason why
it is more or less an Apache clone I do not really know, that was a 
design decision made at least a
decade ago (by people no longer employed by OTP) and probably it made 
sense at the time. With backward comparability  requirements  it is as 
it is, but there is always a possibility  for new features  and changes 
that  do not break  old stuff.

Regards Ingela - OTP team