webpack-dev-server
Advanced tools
Package description
webpack-dev-server is a development server that provides live reloading. It is intended to be used with webpack, a module bundler. It uses webpack's watch mode and, when changes are detected, it recompiles the bundle and notifies the client to reload the page.
Live Reloading
Automatically reloads the page when files are changed. The 'hot' option enables Hot Module Replacement without page refresh as fallback in case of build failures.
module.exports = {
devServer: {
contentBase: './dist',
hot: true
}
};Custom Middleware
Allows developers to add custom routes before the server starts. Useful for mocking an API or other custom server logic.
module.exports = {
devServer: {
before: function(app, server) {
app.get('/some/path', function(req, res) {
res.json({ custom: 'response' });
});
}
}
};Proxying API Requests
Redirects API calls to another server. This is useful when you have a separate API backend development server and you want to send API requests on the same domain.
module.exports = {
devServer: {
proxy: {
'/api': 'http://localhost:3000'
}
}
};HTTPS Support
Allows serving the webpack application over HTTPS. This is useful for testing applications that require secure connections.
module.exports = {
devServer: {
https: true
}
};BrowserSync is an automation tool that makes web development faster. It synchronizes file changes and interactions across multiple devices. It's similar to webpack-dev-server but works across multiple browsers and devices.
Lite-server is a lightweight development server that serves a web app, opens it in the browser, and refreshes the browser on file changes. It is built on top of BrowserSync and provides fewer configuration options compared to webpack-dev-server.
Serve is a static server that lets you serve static files quickly. It is simpler than webpack-dev-server and does not have built-in support for live reloading or module bundling.
http-server is a simple, zero-configuration command-line HTTP server. It is powerful and has the ability to serve static files, but lacks the advanced features of webpack-dev-server like live reloading and module hot replacement.
Readme
Use webpack with a development server that provides live reloading. This should be used for development only.
It uses webpack-dev-middleware under the hood, which provides fast in-memory access to the webpack assets.
First things first, install the module:
npm install webpack-dev-server --save-dev
Note: While you can install and run webpack-dev-server globally, we recommend installing it locally. webpack-dev-server will always use a local installation over a global one.
There are two main, recommended methods of using the module:
The easiest way to use it is with the CLI. In the directory where your
webpack.config.js is, run:
node_modules/.bin/webpack-dev-server
Note: Many CLI options are available with webpack-dev-server. Explore this link.
NPM package.json scripts are a convenient and useful means to run locally installed binaries without having to be concerned about their full paths. Simply define a script as such:
"scripts": {
"start:dev": "webpack-dev-server"
}
And run the following in your terminal/console:
npm run start:dev
NPM will automagically reference the binary in node_modules for you, and
execute the file or command.
Either method will start a server instance and begin listening for connections
from localhost on port 8080.
webpack-dev-server is configured by default to support live-reload of files as you edit your assets while the server is running.
See the documentation for more use cases and options.
While webpack-dev-server transpiles the client (browser) scripts to an ES5
state, the project only officially supports the last two versions of major
browsers. We simply don't have the resources to support every whacky
browser out there.
If you find a bug with an obscure / old browser, we would actively welcome a Pull Request to resolve the bug.
We do our best to keep Issues in the repository focused on bugs, features, and needed modifications to the code for the module. Because of that, we ask users with general support, "how-to", or "why isn't this working" questions to try one of the other support channels that are available.
Your first-stop-shop for support for webpack-dev-server should by the excellent documentation for the module. If you see an opportunity for improvement of those docs, please head over to the webpack.js.org repo and open a pull request.
From there, we encourage users to visit the webpack Gitter chat and
talk to the fine folks there. If your quest for answers comes up dry in chat,
head over to StackOverflow and do a quick search or open a new
question. Remember; It's always much easier to answer questions that include your
webpack.config.js and relevant files!
If you're twitter-savvy you can tweet #webpack with your question and someone should be able to reach out and lend a hand.
If you have discovered a :bug:, have a feature suggestion, or would like to see a modification, please feel free to create an issue on Github. Note: The issue template isn't optional, so please be sure not to remove it, and please fill it out completely.
We welcome your contributions! Please have a read of CONTRIBUTING.md for more information on how to get involved.
This project is heavily inspired by peerigon/nof5.
FAQs
Serves a webpack app. Updates the browser on changes.
We found that webpack-dev-server demonstrated a healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released less than a year ago. It has 4 open source maintainers collaborating on the project.
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