Apache Axis2/C

HTTP/2 JSON-RPC web services framework for C with legacy SOAP support

Apache Axis2/C is a high-performance web services framework written in C. Originally designed for SOAP web services, the modern Axis2/C focuses on HTTP/2 and JSON-RPC while maintaining backward compatibility with legacy SOAP deployments.

Key Features

Modern HTTP/2 + JSON Stack

HTTP/2 Protocol - Multiplexed connections, header compression
JSON-RPC - Lightweight request/response format for modern APIs
Native C Performance - Minimal memory footprint, no garbage collection
Android Support - Cross-compile for ARM64/ARMv7 mobile devices

Security

TLS 1.2/1.3 - Modern cipher suites via OpenSSL
OSS-Fuzz Integration - Continuous fuzzing for vulnerability detection

Legacy SOAP Support

WS-Security via Rampart/C - XML Signature, Encryption, SAML
WS-Addressing, WS-Policy
WSDL 1.1/2.0 support with native WSDL2C code generator
MTOM/XOP binary attachments

Note: A Rampart/C 2.0.0 release is planned to accompany Axis2/C 2.0.0, but this may be the final release. The WS-Security 1.0 specification (OASIS 2004) is mature and considered legacy technology in 2026, with most new applications using TLS, OAuth 2.0, or JWT for security.

Quick Start

# Clone from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/apache/axis-axis2-c-core.git
cd axis-axis2-c-core

# See INSTALL file for build instructions
cat INSTALL

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/apache/axis-axis2-c-core

For complete build instructions including HTTP/2 support, dependencies, and platform-specific options, see the INSTALL file in the repository root.

See Installation Guide for detailed instructions.

Architecture

Axis2/C uses a modular architecture:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Client Application                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  HTTP/2 Transport    │    Legacy HTTP/1.1       │
│  (nghttp2 + OpenSSL) │    (SOAP Transport)      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│            Axis2/C Engine Core                  │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐              │
│  │ JSON-RPC    │  │ SOAP        │              │
│  │ Module      │  │ Module      │              │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              Service Handlers                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Documentation

Getting Started - Installation and quick start
User Guide - Configuration and usage
HTTP/2 & JSON - Modern protocol support
Android Support - Cross-compilation and mobile deployment
Security Guide - TLS and security hardening
Developer Guide - Architecture and internals

Community

License

Apache Axis2/C is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.