# http-party/http-server

A simple, zero-configuration, command-line http server

Repository: https://github.com/http-party/http-server
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/http-server
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: http, static, hosting, server, command-line, hacktoberfest, http-server, static-server
Last push: 2026-04-15T11:09:09+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 57/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 77, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5557, "days_push": 140, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 14233, forks 1557 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:06.581974+00:00)

## What it is
http-server is a simple, zero-configuration command-line static HTTP server built on Node.js. It serves local directories over HTTP with sensible defaults, suitable for testing, local development, learning, and even light production use.

## Use cases
- serve a local folder over http for quick testing
- preview a static site before deployment
- run a zero-config static file server from the command line
- spin up a local dev server with npx without installing anything
- serve a directory with gzip compression and caching options
- host static assets locally during frontend development

## When to choose
- you need to serve static files locally with no configuration
- you want a quick one-liner via npx to preview a site
- you need a lightweight static server for testing or learning
- you want a Node.js-based alternative to python -m http.server

## When to avoid
- you need a dynamic backend, routing, or API handling
- you require production-grade performance or advanced security features
- you need built-in HTTPS termination with managed certificates
- you want hot-reloading or a full development server experience like Vite or webpack-dev-server

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: http-server, cli, developer-tools
- domain: web-development, developer-tools
- platform: cli, cross-platform
- tags: static-file-server, zero-configuration, local-development, npm, command-line, nodejs

## Member repositories
- http-party/http-server (main) score 57

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:06.581974+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:12:42.895815+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/http-party/http-server (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:06.581974+00:00, sha a8ee0a02a17c)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/http-server (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:29.416421+00:00, sha 02822eaf47b3)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.