My usual go-to for a quick static server is: python -m http.server But variation...

nodesocket · 2025-04-15T07:28:39 1744702119

I use python for serving my local static site development with this custom little bash wrapper script I wrote:

    #!/usr/bin/env bash
    set -e; [[ $TRACE ]] && set -x

    port=8080
    dir="."

    if [[ "$1" == "-h" || "$1" == "--help" ]]; then
        echo "usage: http-server [PORT] [DIRECTORY]"
        echo "  PORT      Port to listen on (default: 8080)"
        echo "  DIRECTORY Directory to serve (default: .)"
        exit 0
    fi

    if [ -n "$1" ]; then
        port=$1
    fi

    if [[ -n "$2" ]]; then
        dir=$2
    fi

    python3 -m http.server --directory "$dir" --protocol HTTP/1.1 "$port"

Y_Y · 2025-04-15T13:39:51 1744724391

From the people who brought you Useless Use of Cat, here's our newest innovation: Useless Use of Bash!

That whole script could just be the last line! Maybe you could add defaults like

    "${port:-8080}"

nodesocket · 2025-04-15T13:56:07 1744725367

Fair, but don't need to be snooty about it. :-)

    port="${1:-8080}"
    dir="${2:-.}"

DiggyJohnson · 2025-04-15T16:06:21 1744733181

Genuinely curious about what the full script would look like in consideration of your feedback.

porridgeraisin · 2025-04-15T20:19:37 1744748377

  python3 -m http.server "${$1:-8080}" "${$2:-.}"

Y_Y · 2025-04-16T18:04:12 1744826652

Almost! That will read the variable whose name is is the script argument. Also the directory argument needs a flag on my setup. It should be:

  python3 -mhttp.server "${1:-8080}" -d "${2:-.}"

porridgeraisin · 2025-04-16T19:25:22 1744831522

Yep, you're right.

zikduruqe · 2025-04-14T21:54:02 1744667642

Don't forget bash.

    #!/bin/bash

    while :; do nc -l 80 < index.html; done

creatonez · 2025-04-18T23:16:19 1745018179

For anyone baffled by this: This works because HTTP/0.9 (just called "HTTP" at the time) worked in an extremely simple way, and browsers mostly retained compatibility for this.

HTTP/0.9 web browser sends:

    GET /

Netcat sends:

    <!doctype html>
    ...

Nowadays a browser will send `GET / HTTP/1.1` and then a bunch of headers, which a true HTTP/0.9 server may be able to filter out and ignore, but of course this script will just send the document and the browser will still assume it's a legacy server.

xmodem · 2025-04-14T22:52:03 1744671123

I was about to down-vote you, but that would be unfair, as this has roughly the typical level of correctness of most bash scripts.

rollcat · 2025-04-15T14:32:19 1744727539

It's absolutely (almost) correct! HTTP/0.9 does not require you to send back a status code or any headers. Some modern web servers even recognise a lone "GET /" to mean HTTP/0.9 and will respond accordingly.

xmodem · 2025-04-16T08:05:27 1744790727

This is exactly my point - it successfully accomplishes a very specific task, in a way that is fragile and context dependent, and completely fails to handle any errors or edge cases, or reckon with any complexity at all.

vFunct · 2025-04-15T15:34:09 1744731249

This is hilarious

blacksmith_tb · 2025-04-14T23:24:51 1744673091

There are some nice compilations of those, like

https://gist.github.com/willurd/5720255

red_admiral · 2025-04-15T15:20:27 1744730427

Python is my go-to method too, altough the config file approach from this project looks exciting.

(I'm sure if I dug in the http.server documentation I could find all those options too.)