This blog post explains why the author chose C to build their personal website. Motivated by a desire for a fun, challenging project and greater control over performance and resource usage, they opted against higher-level frameworks. While acknowledging C's complexity and development time, the author highlights the benefits of minimal dependencies, small executable size, and the learning experience gained. Ultimately, the decision was driven by personal preference and the satisfaction derived from crafting a website from scratch using a language they enjoy.
The blog post, "Why Is This Site Built with C," by Marcelo Fernandes, delves into the author's rationale for choosing the C programming language to construct their personal website. Fernandes begins by acknowledging the unconventional nature of this decision, recognizing that C is not typically employed for web development due to the prevalence of higher-level languages and frameworks specifically designed for that purpose, such as Python, Ruby, JavaScript, and PHP. These languages and their associated frameworks offer features like automated memory management and built-in web server functionalities, significantly streamlining the development process. In contrast, using C requires a more manual and lower-level approach.
Despite these challenges, Fernandes outlines a series of motivations for opting for C. A primary driver is the sheer enjoyment and educational value derived from tackling the complexities of building a web server from scratch using a fundamental language like C. This process provides an in-depth understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in handling HTTP requests, managing memory, and interacting directly with system calls. It allows for fine-grained control over every aspect of the website's performance and behavior.
Furthermore, the author expresses an affinity for the minimalist and performant nature of C. By meticulously crafting each component and avoiding the overhead associated with larger frameworks, the resulting website achieves exceptional speed and efficiency. Fernandes argues that this bare-bones approach contributes to a cleaner, more maintainable codebase and aligns with their philosophy of simplicity.
The technical implementation details are also discussed. The website utilizes a custom-built HTTP server written entirely in C. This server listens for incoming connections on a designated port, parses HTTP requests, retrieves the requested content, and constructs HTTP responses to send back to the client. The content itself, primarily consisting of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, is stored on the server's file system. The C server handles the dynamic aspects of the site, including routing and generating responses. The author emphasizes the educational benefit of building such a system from the ground up, highlighting the deep learning experience gained in the process.
Finally, Fernandes acknowledges that while this approach might not be suitable for all web development projects, particularly those requiring rapid prototyping or complex features, it provides a unique and rewarding experience for personal projects. This allows for a deeper appreciation of the foundational technologies that underpin the web and offers the satisfaction of building something completely from scratch.
Summary of Comments ( 32 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43526058
Hacker News users generally praised the author's technical skills and the site's performance, with several expressing admiration for the clean code and minimalist approach. Some questioned the practicality and maintainability of using C for a website, particularly regarding long-term development and potential security risks. Others discussed the benefits of learning C and low-level programming, while some debated the performance advantages compared to other languages and frameworks. A few users shared their own experiences with similar projects and alternative approaches to achieving high performance. A significant point of discussion was the lack of server-side rendering, which some felt hindered the site's SEO.
The Hacker News post "Why Is This Site Built with C" generated a moderate amount of discussion with a variety of perspectives on the author's choice of C for their website.
Several commenters focused on the performance aspects. Some agreed with the author that C offers significant performance advantages, particularly for a static site, leading to faster loading times and reduced server load. They pointed out that the simplicity of C and lack of complex frameworks can contribute to this efficiency. However, others argued that while C can be incredibly performant, it's not inherently so, and achieving those benefits requires careful optimization and coding practices. They suggested that other languages and frameworks, while potentially less performant at their peak, are often easier to optimize to a sufficient level of performance for a typical website.
Another thread of discussion revolved around the maintainability and development experience. Some commenters appreciated the author's minimalist approach and the learning opportunity presented by using C. They saw it as a refreshing alternative to more complex web development stacks. However, others expressed concern about the long-term maintainability of a C-based website. They pointed out the potential difficulties in debugging, updating, and scaling such a site, particularly compared to more modern frameworks that offer built-in tools and libraries. They also highlighted the increased risk of security vulnerabilities if the C code isn't meticulously written and audited.
A few commenters questioned the practicality of using C for web development in general, arguing that the time and effort required to build and maintain a C-based site outweigh the potential performance benefits. They suggested that the author's choice might be more of a personal project or learning exercise rather than a practical solution for most web developers.
There was also some discussion about the specific technical details of the author's implementation, including their use of a custom HTTP server and templating engine. Some commenters expressed interest in the author's approach, while others suggested alternative libraries or frameworks that could simplify the process.
Finally, a few commenters simply expressed admiration for the author's unconventional approach and their willingness to explore different technologies. They saw it as a reminder that there's more than one way to build a website, and that sometimes choosing a less common technology can lead to interesting results.