Single line web server: bash aliases to quickly spin up a Python HTTP server.

serv.md

Single line web server

Bash aliases to quickly spin up a Python HTTP server:

• Starts at a default or custom port
• Automatically finds the next available port if taken
• Optionally opens the server in your default web browser

Installation

Add this to your .bashrc, .zshrc or shell profile:

alias serv='function _serv(){ p=${1:-8000}; while lsof -i:$p >/dev/null 2>&1; do ((p++)); done; python3 -m http.server $p; }; _serv'
alias oserv='function _serv(){ p=${1:-8000}; while lsof -i:$p >/dev/null 2>&1; do ((p++)); done; (sleep 1 && (command -v xdg-open >/dev/null && xdg-open http://localhost:$p || open http://localhost:$p)) & python3 -m http.server $p; }; _serv'

Update source commands

source ~/.bashrc # or source ~/.zshrc

Example:

serv        # Start server on default port (8000) or next free one
serv 9090   # Start server on custom port (9090)
oserv       # Start server and open in default browser