What a local HTTP server does, and when you need one
An HTTP server answers browser requests with files. Run one on your PC and a folder you choose gets an address such as http://192.168.1.20:8080, which any phone, tablet, laptop or smart TV on the same network can type or scan to see what is inside.
Developers often reach for a one-line command-line server for this, which means having a runtime installed and remembering the syntax. This app is the same idea in a window. Choose the Folder to serve, click the plate, and it is live. Click the plate again to shut it down.
The address appears on the plate as a scannable code, so a phone camera opens the folder without anyone typing an IP address. Copy address and Open in browser sit beside it for the PC side.
How to start a simple HTTP server on Windows
The server listens on every network connection the PC has, so wired and wireless clients both reach it. With Open a browser when the server starts switched on, your own browser opens the address as a quick check.
- Next to Folder to serve, press Browse and pick the directory.
- Leave Port at 8080 or type any number from 1 to 65535. If another program already holds it, you are told so instead of left guessing.
- Click the plate. The status changes to Serving and the code goes live.
- On the other device, scan the code or enter the address in a browser.
- If nothing connects, Windows Firewall is the usual cause: allow this app through it when Windows asks, or add the rule yourself.
A local web server for testing pages on a phone
Point it at a static site build and each folder's index.html, default.html or main.html loads as the landing page, worked out per folder rather than once at launch. Files go out with their proper content type, so HTML renders, images display, video plays and PDFs open in the browser instead of downloading.
That makes it a quick way to see a layout on a real phone screen without deploying anywhere. When a folder has no landing page, visitors get a clickable list of its files. Turn off List the files when there is no index page if you would rather they see a 404.
A mock server for error handling
The Answer requests with setting turns the server into a stub for error testing. Leave it on The file they asked for for normal use, or switch it to Error 400 — Bad Request, Error 401 — Unauthorized, Error 404 — Not Found or Error 500 — Server Error, and every request gets that status. Aim an app or script at the address and confirm it copes with each failure.
The Requests panel logs each call as it arrives: status, method, path and time, with the client's address on hover. Keep The last 50, The last 200 or The last 1000 on screen, and Clear the list between runs.
What visitors can and cannot do
The server is read-only. It answers GET and HEAD, and refuses every other method with 405, so nobody on the network can upload, rename or delete a file through it. Requests that try to step above the chosen folder resolve to nothing. There is no password and no HTTPS, though, so anyone who can reach the port can read that folder while it is being served. Stop it when you are finished.
