http-server.md

Python by Example: HTTP Server

The http.server module provides a simple HTTP server for development. It serves files from the current directory. Useful for testing static sites or sharing files on a local network. For production, use a proper server like gunicorn or uwsgi.

What you'll learn:

• Starting a basic HTTP server
• SimpleHTTPRequestHandler serves files

from http.server import HTTPServer, SimpleHTTPRequestHandler

# Serve a single request for demo
server = HTTPServer(("localhost", 8000), SimpleHTTPRequestHandler)
print("Serving at http://localhost:8000 (one request)")
server.handle_request()

The server binds to localhost:8000. handle_request() serves one request and exits. For a long-running server, use server.serve_forever().

To run this program:

$ python source/http-server.py
Serving at http://localhost:8000 (one request)

Tip: Run python -m http.server 8000 from a directory to serve files—no script needed. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Try it: Change to serve_forever() and visit http://localhost:8000 in a browser. Serve a directory that has an index.html.

Source: http-server.py

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