Dictionary Tools

dictd – dictionary database server for the DICT protocol

dictd is a dictionary database server implementing the Dictionary Server Protocol (DICT).

The protocol uses TCP transactions to give clients a uniform way to request definitions and search word indexes across multiple natural-language dictionary databases. This makes dictd useful when several dictionaries need to be exposed through one consistent network interface rather than accessed independently. Databases are distributed separately from the server, so administrators can choose which collections to provide and configure how clients reach them.

This is free and open source software.

Key Features

  • Serve multiple dictionary databases through the DICT protocol.
  • Return word definitions and perform index searches using configurable strategies.
  • Report information about available databases and supported search methods.
  • Provide database metadata such as copyright, citation and distribution information.
  • Support access restrictions for selected databases or clients.
  • Handle UTF-8 dictionaries as well as supported 8-bit encoded databases.
  • Allow non-alphanumeric characters in searches when declared by database metadata.
  • Choose the listening host, port and network address family.
  • Support IPv4 and IPv6 networking.
  • Drop root privileges after startup and run under a dedicated unprivileged account when available.
  • Write activity through syslog or a configurable log file.
  • Limit server child processes and adjust connection-related settings.
  • Read settings from a configurable server configuration file.
  • Optionally preprocess configuration with tools such as m4 or cpp.
  • Run continuously as a daemon, with an inetd-compatible mode also available.

Website: github.com/cheusov/dictd
Support:
Developer: Rickard E. Faith and Aleksey Cheusov
License: GNU General Public License v1.0

dictd is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.


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