macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install http-serverlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install http-server with Homebrew, Nix
Simple zero-configuration command-line HTTP server. Version 14.1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#http-servernixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ht/http-server/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Simple zero-configuration command-line HTTP server
Project links
Commands and aliases
- http-server
history
Project history and usage
http-server is a Node.js command-line static HTTP server. Its README describes a zero-configuration server that is simple enough for testing, local development, and learning, but also includes practical options for caching, directory listings, proxying, TLS, headers, and authentication.
Project history
The GitHub repository was created in June 2011, and npm registry metadata records the package beginning the same day with version 0.1.0. The project became one of the standard Node-era answers to 'serve this folder over localhost' before npx made one-off CLI execution common.
The package evolved from a tiny static-file helper into a more featureful local server. The README documents installation through npx, global npm, Homebrew, dependency installation, and Docker builds, while release metadata shows the project reaching the 14.x line in 2021 and 2022.
Adoption history
http-server's adoption is visible across npm, GitHub, and Homebrew: the official README includes npm and Homebrew badges, GitHub displays a large star/fork footprint and many dependents, and the input metadata records Homebrew and Nix packaging. Its popularity comes from needing no application framework when all a developer wants is static files over HTTP.
How it is used
Common use is `npx http-server` or a global `http-server` command pointed at a directory. Options cover port and address selection, cache control, gzip and Brotli serving, CORS headers, custom headers, SPA-style proxy fallback, TLS certificates, basic authentication, robots.txt generation, and MIME overrides.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, http-server is a classic small CLI that became infrastructure glue. It sits at the intersection of npm's executable-bin model, frontend local development, static-site demos, and Homebrew packaging for JavaScript tools that people want outside a single Node project.
Timeline
- 2011: The http-party/http-server repository was created on GitHub.
- 2011: The npm package was created with early 0.1.x versions.
- 2017: The GitHub release list includes the 0.10.0 release.
- 2021: The project published the 13.x and 14.0.0 release lines.
- 2022: The project published the 14.1.x release line.
Related projects
- Related tools include Python's built-in simple HTTP server, serve, live-server, Caddy, Vite dev server workflows, and the Rust http-server package. It also uses Node and npm conventions for command distribution.
Sources
- Official GitHub README/release metadata and npm registry metadata.
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:http,server
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
http-server | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version14.1.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/http-party/http-server
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/http-party/http-servernone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:http-server |
|---|---|
| Version | 14.1.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/http-server |
| Homepage | https://github.com/http-party/http-server |
| Repository | https://github.com/http-party/http-server |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/http-party/http-server#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://registry.npmjs.org/http-server/-/http-server-14.1.1.tgz |
| Dependencies | node |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | http-server |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Conflicts With |
|
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
http-server
nix profile install nixpkgs#http-server- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Http Server
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment