httplua

httplua is the Lua CGI handler for the httpd web server on classic MVS 3.8j. It embeds the lua370 Lua 5.4 engine and runs Lua scripts from the UFS in response to HTTP requests — so you can write dynamic web endpoints in Lua on a Hercules-emulated MVS system.

It was extracted from httpd (mvslovers/httpd#61) into a standalone project and builds a single load module, HTTPLUA.

Features

• Lua 5.4 scripting for HTTP requests (via the embedded lua370 engine)
• Scripts served from the UFS (ufsd), addressed by path
• EBCDIC-aware — Lua source and output are EBCDIC; httpd handles the wire codepage

Building

httplua uses mbt 3 — a host build with the cc370 toolchain. MVS is only touched by mbt deploy.

Prerequisites

• The cc370 host toolchain (it also provides the libc370 sysroot)
• mbt 3 on your PATH (mbt doctor checks the toolchain too)
• An MVS 3.8j system reachable over IP (for mbt deploy), set up once per machine as an mbt target (mbt target import .env --name <name>, see mbt's docs/MIGRATION.md)

Build

git clone https://github.com/mvslovers/httplua.git
cd httplua
mbt deps                 # stage lua370, httpd, ufsd
mbt build                # build/HTTPLUA (on the host)
mbt deploy               # -> HTTPLUA.DEV.LINKLIB

Dependencies (mbt.toml): lua370 (the Lua engine, statically linked), httpd (CGI interface), ufsd (UFS access). libc370 is the cc370 sysroot.

Installing / activating

1. Copy the HTTPLUA member from the deploy LINKLIB into httpd's load library (e.g. HTTPD.LINKLIBT).
2. Configure routing + the script root in the httpd parmlib member (DD:HTTPPRM):

   UFS=1
   DOCROOT=/www
   MOD=HTTPLUA *.lua
   

3. Restart httpd (it loads MOD= modules at startup).

A script at UFS /www/hello.lua:

print("Hello, World!")

is then reachable at http://host:port/hello.lua.

Acknowledgments

Built on httpd and the lua370 Lua port (originally by Michael Dean Rayborn) for the MVS 3.8j community. Lua is by Roberto Ierusalimschy, Waldemar Celes, and Luiz Henrique de Figueiredo (PUC-Rio).

License

MIT License