# http-party/http-server

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14,191 stars · 1,557 forks · JavaScript · MIT

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/http-party/http-server
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/http-party-http-server.md

## Description

This project is a lightweight Node.js web server and command-line tool designed for hosting static assets and delivering local files over HTTP. It functions as a static site host that provides a minimal environment for serving HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to web browsers.

The server includes built-in support for TLS encryption to enable secure HTTPS access and allows for the configuration of cross-origin resource sharing headers. It also features basic authentication to restrict folder access via username and password verification.

The system manages content delivery through browser cache control and supports content compression by serving pre-compressed Gzip or Brotli files. Additionally, it can forward requests not found in the local file system to a specified external URL through request proxying.

## Tags

### Web Development

- [Static Asset Serving](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/web-infrastructure-deployment/web-server-capabilities/static-asset-serving.md) — Delivers local directory contents over HTTP with automatic index resolution and custom error pages. ([source](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/http-party/http-server@main/README.md))
- [Node.js Server Frameworks](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/backend-development/web-frameworks/node-js-server-frameworks.md) — A lightweight server built on Node.js for hosting static assets and local development.
- [Directory-to-Route Mappings](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/directory-to-route-mappings.md) — Maps incoming HTTP request paths directly to local directory structures to serve static assets.
- [Static Site Hosting](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/static-site-hosting.md) — Provides a minimal environment for delivering pre-rendered HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files.
- [HTTP Content Compression](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/web-development/http-content-compression.md) — Supports serving pre-compressed Gzip or Brotli files to reduce bandwidth and improve load times. ([source](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/http-party/http-server@main/README.md))

### Networking & Communication

- [Directory HTTP Servers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/local-http-servers/directory-http-servers.md) — A command-line tool for serving local files and directories over HTTP without complex configuration.
- [Local Network Website Hosting](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/networking-communication/local-network-website-hosting.md) — Serves local HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files over HTTP for testing and development.

### Security & Cryptography

- [SSL/TLS Connection Security](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/ssl-tls-connection-security.md) — Provides secure HTTPS access to local files using TLS certificates and private keys. ([source](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/http-party/http-server@main/README.md))
- [Basic Authentication](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/basic-authentication.md) — Implements standard HTTP basic authentication to restrict folder access via username and password.
- [CORS Configurations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/cors-configurations.md) — Provides built-in support for managing cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) headers.
- [Cache Control Headers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/http-security-headers/cache-control-headers.md) — Injects standard HTTP caching headers into responses based on user-defined expiration settings.
- [TLS Server Configurations](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/tls-server-configurations.md) — Encrypts data streams using provided certificates and private keys via Node.js HTTPS modules.
- [Authenticated File Shares](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/user-access-management/user-based-access-restrictions/authenticated-share-restrictions/authenticated-file-shares.md) — Provides restricted access to local folders using basic authentication and TLS encryption.

### Data & Databases

- [Web Asset Distribution](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/file-asset-management/distribution-asset-managers/web-asset-distribution.md) — Optimizes the loading speed of web assets through pre-compressed files and cache header management.

### Development Tools & Productivity

- [Pre-Compressed Asset Serving](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/build-tooling/asset-file-management/asset-processing-pipelines/asset-optimization/compressed-asset-delivery/static-asset-compressions/pre-compressed-asset-serving.md) — Serves pre-compressed Gzip or Brotli files to clients to optimize loading speed and reduce CPU overhead.
- [Static Site Prototyping](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/static-site-prototyping.md) — Allows quickly sharing a local directory on a network to preview website layouts and functionality.

### Part of an Awesome List

- [HTTP Clients](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/devtools/http-clients.md) — Zero-configuration static file server.