codecrafters-io/http-server-tester

This repository is a testing tool that checks whether someone's HTTP server actually works. It is designed for participants taking an HTTP server challenge on Codecrafters, a platform where developers learn by building things from scratch. The tester validates that your server handles requests correctly as you work through the challenge. At a high level, the tester looks at your submitted code and runs it to see if it behaves the way the challenge expects. You need to provide an executable file called your_server.sh that starts up your HTTP server, along with a configuration file called codecrafters.yml that includes a debug setting. The tester uses an environment variable to locate the directory where your code lives, then runs your server and checks its responses against what the challenge requires. This tool is primarily for people building their own HTTP server as part of a Codecrafters course. For example, if you are learning how the web works by implementing a basic server in Python, Rust, or Go, this tester tells you whether your implementation handles requests the right way. Instead of guessing whether your server returns the correct status codes or response bodies, you get automated feedback on your progress. The README is quite sparse and does not go into detail about what specific tests are run, what endpoints are checked, or how the debug configuration is used. It focuses purely on the setup requirements rather than explaining the testing logic itself. This makes sense given that the tool is meant to run behind the scenes as part of the Codecrafters platform rather than be configured manually by users.