# davidmoreno/onion

C library to create simple HTTP servers and Web Applications.

Repository: https://github.com/davidmoreno/onion
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/davidmoreno-onion
Homepage: http://www.coralbits.com/libonion/
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2022-10-17T18:56:32+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5812, "days_push": 1416, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2090, forks 256 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:12.365045+00:00)

## What it is
Onion (libonion) is a lightweight C library for building HTTP servers and web applications by layering URL handlers. It is designed to add web functionality to existing programs or create small-footprint web-facing services, with SSL support and built-in handlers for common needs.

## Use cases
- add an HTTP API to an existing C application
- build a small embedded web server with low memory footprint
- serve dynamic content with custom URL handlers in C
- create a web application with SSL/TLS support
- build a lightweight REST service on ARM or embedded Linux
- implement virtual hosts and layered request handling

## When to choose
- you need HTTP server functionality inside a C program
- you target embedded or resource-constrained systems
- you want a layered handler/middleware model with SSL support
- you prefer a library over deploying a standalone web server

## When to avoid
- you need a modern async framework with an active ecosystem
- you want a full-featured standalone web server executable
- your stack is not C/C++
- you need frequent updates or long-term active maintenance

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: http-server, web-framework, routing, middleware, auth, templating
- domain: web-development, backend, embedded-systems, apis
- platform: cross-platform, c, embedded
- tags: http-server-library, c-library, lightweight, ssl-support, handler-layers, embedded-web-server, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- davidmoreno/onion (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:12.365045+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:55:35.564593+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/davidmoreno/onion (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:12.365045+00:00, sha cbb9396c1983)
  - homepage: http://www.coralbits.com/libonion/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:35:22.961147+00:00, sha d524fc037f61)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.