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# local-web-server
Fires up a simple, CORS-enabled, static web server on a given port. Use for local web development or file sharing (directory browsing enabled).

![local-web-server](http://75lb.github.io/local-web-server/ws.gif)

## Install
Ensure [node.js](http://nodejs.org) is installed first. Linux/Mac users may need to run the following commands with `sudo`.

### Globally
```sh
$ npm install -g local-web-server
```

### Bundled with your project
```sh
$ npm install local-web-server --save-dev
```

Then add an `start` script to your `package.json` (the standard npm approach):
```json
{
  "name": "my-web-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "ws"
  }
}
```
This simplifies a rather specific-looking instruction set like:

```sh
$ npm install
$ npm install -g local-web-server
$ ws
```

to the following, server implementation and launch details abstracted away:
```sh
$ npm install
$ npm start
```

## Usage
```
Usage
$ ws <server options>
$ ws --config
$ ws --help

Server
-p, --port <number>           Web server port
-f, --log-format <string>     If a format is supplied an access log is written to stdout. If not, a statistics view is displayed. Use a
                              preset ('none', 'dev','combined', 'short', 'tiny' or 'logstalgia') or supply a custom format (e.g. ':method ->
                              :url').
-d, --directory <string>      Root directory, defaults to the current directory
-c, --compress                Enable gzip compression, reduces bandwidth.
-r, --refresh-rate <number>   Statistics view refresh rate in ms. Defaults to 500.

Misc
-h, --help                    Print these usage instructions
--config                      Print the stored config
```

From the folder you wish to serve, run:
```sh
$ ws
serving at http://localhost:8000
```

If you wish to serve a different directory, run:
```sh
$ ws -d ~/mysite/
serving /Users/Lloyd/mysite at http://localhost:8000
```

If you wish to override the default port (8000), use `--port` or `-p`:
```sh
$ ws --port 9000
serving at http://localhost:9000
```

To add compression, reducing bandwidth, increasing page load time (by 10-15% on my Macbook Air)
```sh
$ ws --compress
```

### Logging
Passing a value to `--log-format` will write an access log to `stdout`.

Either use a built-in [morgan](https://github.com/expressjs/morgan) logger preset:
```sh
$ ws --log-format short
```

Or a custom [morgan](https://github.com/expressjs/morgan) log format:
```sh
$ ws -f ':method -> :url'
```

Or silence:
```sh
$ ws -f none
```

## Storing default options
To store per-project options, saving you the hassle of inputting them everytime, store them in the `local-web-server` property of your project's `package.json`:
```json
{
  "name": "my-project",
  "version": "0.11.8",
  "local-web-server":{
    "port": 8100
  }
}
```

Or in a `.local-web-server.json` file stored in the directory you want to serve (typically the root folder of your site):
```json
{
  "port": 8100,
  "log-format": "tiny"
}
```

Or store global defaults in a `.local-web-server.json` file in your home directory.
```json
{
  "port": 3000,
  "refresh-rate": 1000
}
```

All stored defaults are overriden by options supplied at the command line.

To view your stored defaults, run:

```sh
$ ws --config
```

## mime-types
You can set additional mime-type/extension mappings, or override the defaults by setting a `mime` value in your local config. This value is passed directly to [mime.define()](https://github.com/broofa/node-mime#mimedefine). Example:

```json
{
    "mime": {
        "text/plain": [ "php", "pl" ]
    }
}
```

## Use with Logstalgia
local-web-server is compatible with [logstalgia](http://code.google.com/p/logstalgia/).

### Install Logstalgia
On MacOSX, install with [homebrew](http://brew.sh):
```sh
$ brew install logstalgia
```

Alternatively, [download a release for your system from github](https://github.com/acaudwell/Logstalgia/releases/latest).

Then pipe the `logstalgia` output format directly into logstalgia for real-time visualisation:
```sh
$ ws -f logstalgia | logstalgia -
```

![local-web-server with logstalgia](http://75lb.github.io/local-web-server/logstagia.gif)

## Use with glTail
To use with [glTail](http://www.fudgie.org), write your log to disk using the "default" format:
```sh
$ ws -f default > web.log
```

Then specify this file in your glTail config:

```yaml
servers:
    dev:
        host: localhost
        source: local
        files: /Users/Lloyd/Documents/MySite/web.log
        parser: apache
        color: 0.2, 0.2, 1.0, 1.0
```

* * *

&copy; 2015 Lloyd Brookes <75pound@gmail.com>