install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install webfs

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install webfs

MacPorts ports tree · www/webfs/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install webfs

Debian stable package indexes · webfs · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#webfs

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/we/webfs/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

HTTP server for purely static content

Project links

Commands and aliases

webfsd

history

Project history and usage

webfs, usually run as `webfsd`, is a tiny HTTP server for mostly static content. It was built for the old but still useful job of exporting a directory tree over HTTP quickly, without configuring a full Apache, nginx, or application server.

Project history

Gerd Knorr's webfs dates to the late 1990s. Debian's man page credits copyright years 1999 and 2000, and a Freshmeat-era announcement for webfs 1.5 appeared in November 2000, describing it as a simple static HTTP server tested on Linux and FreeBSD.

The 2000 announcement already shows the shape that made the tool last: a very small binary, sendfile support with a userspace fallback, IPv6, chroot-to-docroot, basic authentication, and virtual hosts. The current homepage keeps the same theme, presenting webfs as a quick way to serve static files or expose FTP-server content via HTTP.

Adoption history

webfs became a small distribution package rather than a large upstream platform. Its continued presence in Debian, Ubuntu, MacPorts, Nix, and Homebrew reflects a specific utility: administrators and developers still occasionally want a minimal static file server with Unix permissions and simple daemon behavior.

The package's longevity comes from being boring in the best sense. It does not compete with modern reverse proxies or app servers; it survives because a tiny static HTTP daemon remains handy for tests, rescue environments, old hardware, package repositories, and temporary file sharing.

How it is used

Typical use is to point `webfsd` at a directory and let it serve regular files and directory listings. Access control relies primarily on Unix file permissions, and the daemon can drop privileges after binding privileged ports or entering a chroot when installed and configured for that mode.

webfs is most appropriate for static content: quick exports, LAN file drops, read-only mirrors, or lightweight development fixtures. It is not a dynamic web stack, and that limitation is exactly why the package remains easy to reason about.

Why package nerds care

webfs is significant as a fossil that still works: a compact pre-container HTTP daemon with the Unix philosophy plainly visible. For package nerds, it represents the era when a useful server could be a tens-of-kilobytes binary plus a man page, and still earn a slot in modern package indexes.

Timeline

1999: Debian manpage copyright history identifies Gerd Knorr's authorship beginning in 1999.
2000-11: Freshmeat announced webfs 1.5 with IPv6, chroot, basic auth, virtual hosts, and sendfile fallback support.
2014: Debian jessie carried a webfsd man page, showing long-running distribution packaging.
2025: The upstream release directory listed webfs 1.21-era release artifacts.
2026: Homebrew and other package managers still carried webfs as a static HTTP server package.

Related projects

Related tools include thttpd, darkhttpd, busybox httpd, Python's `http.server`, nginx static serving, Apache httpd, and other small daemons used when static file export is the whole job.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:http,server

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`webfsd`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version1.21

manager updated2026-06-19

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://linux.bytesex.org/misc/webfs.html

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://linux.bytesex.org/misc/webfs.htmlnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:webfs
Version	1.21
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/webfs
Homepage	https://linux.bytesex.org/misc/webfs.html
Upstream docs	https://linux.bytesex.org/misc/webfs.html
License	GPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://www.kraxel.org/releases/webfs/webfs-1.21.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-19T12:33:04-07:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	openssl@4
Build dependencies	httpd
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	webfs
Version Scheme	0
Revision	2
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

webfs 1.21+ds1-16

lightweight HTTP server for static content

http://linux.bytesex.org/misc/webfs.html

sudo apt install webfs

Section: httpd
Architecture: amd64
5 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Webfs

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: webfs from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Nix95%

webfs

nix profile install nixpkgs#webfs

normalized package name match
Matched by: Webfs

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/we/webfs/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Ubuntu apt95%

webfs 1.21+ds1-12build3

lightweight HTTP server for static content

http://linux.bytesex.org/misc/webfs.html

sudo apt install webfs

Section: universe/web
Architecture: amd64
6 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Webfs

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: webfs from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

MacPorts95%

webfs

sudo port install webfs

normalized package name match
Matched by: Webfs

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: www/webfs/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/webfs.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install webfs with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix