HTTPD(8)

📦
version 3.12.3 · 5 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 HTTPD(8) — Cyrus IMAP 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the httpd manual page, fresh off the Cyrus IMAP press ✨

✨ NAME ✨

httpd — Cyrus IMAP documentation

like… it's the HTTP server process 🫶

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

httpd [ -C config-file ] [ -U uses ] [ -T timeout ] [ -D ]
    [ -H ] [ -s ] [ -p ssf ] [ -q ]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so httpd is an HTTP server, periodt. it takes commands on its standard input and it answers back on its standard output. and here's the thing — it MUST be started by master(8) with those descriptors already attached to a remote client connection. like, no solo runs, it's giving strictly group project energy 😭

httpd pulls its configuration options out of the imapd.conf(5) file, unless you tell it otherwise with -C.

and listen — if the directory <configdirectory>/log/user exists, then httpd will spin up protocol telemetry logs for sessions that authenticate as user. those telemetry logs live in the log/user directory, and the filename is literally the httpd process-id. iconic behavior fr fr 💅

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • -C config-file — use this specific config file config-file instead of the default imapd.conf(5). your file, your rules, slay.
  • -U uses — the max number of times this process should be used for new connections before it shuts itself down. default is 250. know your limits bestie.
  • -T timeout — how many seconds the process will wait for a new connection before shutting down. heads up tho: a value of 0 (zero) disables the timeout entirely. default is 60.
  • -D — run the external debugger specified in debug_command. detective mode 🔍
  • -H — tells httpd to expect a HAProxy protocol header from the sender. manifesting that header into existence ✨
  • -s — serve HTTP over SSL (https). all the data going to and from httpd gets encrypted using the Secure Sockets Layer. privacy queen 👑
  • -p ssf — tells httpd that an external layer exists. an SSF (security strength factor) of 1 means an integrity protection layer exists. any higher SSF implies some form of privacy protection. numbers up = vibes sealed 🔥
  • -q — ignore quotas on DAV appends. this feature was introduced in version 3.0. no cap, it really was.

🎀 EXAMPLES 🎀

httpd is commonly included in the SERVICES section of cyrus.conf(5), like so:

SERVICES {
    imap        cmd="imapd -U 30" listen="imap" prefork=0
    imaps       cmd="imapd -s -U 30" listen="imaps" prefork=0 maxchild=100
    lmtpunix    cmd="lmtpd" listen="/var/run/cyrus/socket/lmtp" prefork=0 maxchild=20
    sieve       cmd="timsieved" listen="sieve" prefork=0
    notify      cmd="notifyd" listen="/var/run/cyrus/socket/notify" proto="udp" prefork=1
    httpd       cmd="httpd" listen=8080 prefork=1 maxchild=20
}

see how httpd is just sitting in there with everybody else? main character energy in a crowd, honestly 😌

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

a beta release of httpd was first introduced in the caldav branch of Cyrus in version 2.4.17, and then it made it into the mainline releases starting in version 2.5.0. glow-up complete 🌈

the quota override option, -q, was introduced with Cyrus version 3.0.

💜 FILES 💜

  • /etc/imapd.conf

🌺 SEE ALSO 🌺

imapd.conf(5), master(8)

👑 AUTHOR 👑

The Cyrus Team, Nic Bernstein (Onlight) 🫶

1993–2026, The Cyrus Team

and that's the whole page, bestie! go forth and serve some HTTP 💖

okay so this was version 3.12.3, dated Jul 15, 2026, and the manual name is HTTPD(8) — cute little sign-off, love that for us ✨🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from