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'], server.notify);
 });

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'], server.notify);
     gulp.watch('myapp.js', server.start); //restart my 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);
     server.start();

     //use gulp.watch to trigger server actions(notify, start or stop)
 	gulp.watch(['static/**/*.css', 'static/**/*.html'], server.notify);
     gulp.watch('myapp.js', server.start); //restart my 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()

return promise from Q

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

glup-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 mannully;

Usually, if http://livereload: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.

gingi/gulp-live-server