cpp-httplib/docs-src/pages/en/cookbook/s04-static-files.md

title, order, status

title	order	status
S04. Serve Static Files	23	draft

To serve static files like HTML, CSS, and images, use set_mount_point(). Just map a URL path to a local directory, and the whole directory becomes accessible.

Basic usage

httplib::Server svr;
svr.set_mount_point("/", "./public");
svr.listen("0.0.0.0", 8080);

./public/index.html is now reachable at http://localhost:8080/index.html, and ./public/css/style.css at http://localhost:8080/css/style.css. The directory layout maps directly to URLs.

Multiple mount points

You can register more than one mount point.

svr.set_mount_point("/", "./public");
svr.set_mount_point("/assets", "./dist/assets");
svr.set_mount_point("/uploads", "./var/uploads");

You can even mount multiple directories at the same path — they're searched in registration order, and the first hit wins.

Combine with API handlers

Static files and API handlers coexist happily. Handlers registered with Get() and friends take priority; the mount points are searched only when nothing matches.

svr.Get("/api/users", [](const auto &req, auto &res) {
  res.set_content("[]", "application/json");
});

svr.set_mount_point("/", "./public");

This gives you an SPA-friendly setup: /api/* hits the handlers, everything else is served from ./public/.

Add MIME types

cpp-httplib ships with a built-in extension-to-Content-Type map, but you can add your own.

svr.set_file_extension_and_mimetype_mapping("wasm", "application/wasm");

Warning: The static file server methods are not thread-safe. Don't call them after listen() — configure everything before starting the server.

For download-style responses, see S06. Return a File Download Response.