gulp-live-server

A handy, light-weight server you're going to love.

• Install
• Usage
• API
  • static
  • new
  • gls
  • start
  • stop
  • notify
• livereload.js
• Debug

Install

Usage

• Serve a static folder(gls.script<'scripts/static.js'> is used as server script)

    var gulp = require('gulp');
    var gls = require('gulp-live-server');
    gulp.task('serve', function() {
      //1. serve with default settings
      var server = gls.static(); //equals to gls.static('public', 3000);
      server.start();
   
      //2. serve at custom port
      var server = gls.static('dist', 8888);
      server.start();
   
      //3. serve multi folders
      var server = gls.static(['dist', '.tmp']);
      server.start();
   
      //use gulp.watch to trigger server actions(notify, start or stop)
      gulp.watch(['static/**/*.css', 'static/**/*.html'], function (file) {
        server.notify.apply(server, [file]);
      });
    });

• Serve with your own script file

    gulp.task('serve', function() {
      //1. run your script as a server
      var server = gls.new('myapp.js');
      server.start();
   
      //2. run script with cwd args, e.g. the harmony flag
      var server = gls.new(['--harmony', 'myapp.js']);
      //this will achieve `node --harmony myapp.js`
      //you can access cwd args in `myapp.js` via `process.argv`
      server.start();
   
      //use gulp.watch to trigger server actions(notify, start or stop)
      gulp.watch(['static/**/*.css', 'static/**/*.html'], function (file) {
        server.notify.apply(server, [file]);
      });
      gulp.watch('myapp.js', server.start.bind(server)); //restart my server
      
      // Note: try wrapping in a function if getting an error like `TypeError: Bad argument at TypeError (native) at ChildProcess.spawn`
      gulp.watch('myapp.js', function() {
        server.start.bind(server)()
      });
    });

• Customized serving with gls

    gulp.task('serve', function() {
      //1. gls is the base for `static` and `new`
      var server = gls([gls.script, 'static', 8000]);
      //equals gls.new([gls.script, 'static', 8000]);
      //equals gls.static('static', 8000);
      server.start();
   
      //2. set running options for the server, e.g. NODE_ENV
      var server = gls('myapp.js', {env: {NODE_ENV: 'development'}});
      server.start();
   
      //3. customize livereload server, e.g. port number
      var server = gls('myapp.js', undefined, 12345);
      var promise = server.start();
      //optionally handle the server process exiting
      promise.then(function(result) {
        //log, exit, re-start, etc...
      });
   
      //4. start with coffee-script executable e.g. installed with npm
      var server = gls('myapp.coffee');
      server.start('node_modules/coffee-script/bin/coffee');
   
      //use gulp.watch to trigger server actions(notify, start or stop)
      gulp.watch(['static/**/*.css', 'static/**/*.html'], function (file) {
        server.notify.apply(server, [file]);
      });
      gulp.watch('myapp.js', server.start.bind(server)); //restart my server
      
      // Note: try wrapping in a function if getting an error like `TypeError: Bad argument at TypeError (native) at ChildProcess.spawn`
      gulp.watch('myapp.js', function() {
        server.start.bind(server)()
      });
    });

API

static([folder][, port])

• folder - String|Array The folder(s) to serve. Use array of strings if there're multi folders to serve. If omitted, defaults to public/.
• port - Number The port to listen on. Defaults to 3000.
• return gls.

Config new server using the default server script, to serve the given folder on the specified port.

new(script)

• script - String The script file to run.
• return gls.

Config new server using the given script.

gls(args[, options][, livereload])

• args - String|Array The 2nd param for ChildProcess.spawn.

• options - Object The 3rd param for ChildProcess.spawn, will be mixin into the default value:

      options = {
          cwd: undefined
      }
      options.env = process.env;
      options.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';

• livereload - Boolean|Number|Object The option for tiny-lr server. The default value is 35729.

  • false - will disable tiny-lr livereload server.
  • number - treated as port number of livereload server.
  • object - used to create tiny-lr server new tinylr.Server(livereload);

gls here is a reference of var gls = require('gulp-live-server'). It aims to assemble configuration for the server child process as well as the tiny-lr server. static and new are just shortcuts for this. Usually, static and new will serve you well, but you can get more customized server with gls.

start([execPath])

• execPath - String The executable that is used to start the server. If none is given the current node executable is used.
• return promise from Q, resolved with the server process exits.

Spawn a new child process based on the configuration.

• use ChildProcess.spawn to start a node process;
• use tiny-lr provide livereload ability;

stop()

• return promise from Q

Stop the server.

notify([event])

• event - Event Event object passed along with gulp.watch. Optional when used with pipe.

Tell livereload.js to reload the changed resource(s)

livereload.js

gulp-live-server comes with tiny-lr built in, which works as a livereload server. livereload.js is served by tiny-lr, but in order to get it loaded with your page, you have 3 options( to inject <script src="//localhost:35729/livereload.js"></script> into your page):

• LiveReload for Chrome;
• Use connect-livereload middleware;
• Add livereload.js in your page manually;

Usually, if http://localhost:35729/livereload.js is accessible, then your livereload server is ok, if you don't have the script tag for livereload.js in you page, you've problem with either your chrome plugin or the connect-livereload middle-ware as mentioned above.

DEBUG

If you want more output, set the DEBUG environment variables to * or gulp-live-server.