simplehttpserver

Serve files via Python HTTP server

TLDR

Serve current directory on port 8000

$ python3 -m http.server

Serve on a specific port

$ python3 -m http.server [8080]

Bind to localhost only

$ python3 -m http.server --bind [127.0.0.1]

Serve a specific directory (Python 3.7+)

$ python3 -m http.server --directory [path/to/dir]

Enable CGI script execution

$ python3 -m http.server --cgi

Python 2 equivalent (deprecated)

$ python -m SimpleHTTPServer [8080]

SYNOPSIS

python3 -m http.server [-b address] [-d directory] [--cgi] [--protocol version] [port]
python -m SimpleHTTPServer [port]

http.server (Python 3) and SimpleHTTPServer (Python 2) are Python standard library modules that launch a basic HTTP server for serving static files. They require no installation or configuration, making them ideal for quick file sharing, local development, and testing.
In Python 2, the module is invoked as python -m SimpleHTTPServer, while Python 3 renamed it to python3 -m http.server. The server provides directory listings in a web browser and handles GET and HEAD requests. It binds to all interfaces on port 8000 by default, but the port and bind address can be customized.

PARAMETERS

port

Port number (default: 8000).

-b, --bind ADDRESS

Bind to address (default: all interfaces). Python 3 only.

-d, --directory DIR

Serve specified directory instead of current directory (Python 3.7+).

--cgi

Enable CGI script execution from /cgi-bin.

--protocol VERSION

HTTP protocol version (default: HTTP/1.0).

CAVEATS

Not suitable for production use. No authentication, encryption, or access control. Python 2 and SimpleHTTPServer are deprecated; use Python 3 http.server instead. The --cgi option is deprecated since Python 3.13.

HISTORY

SimpleHTTPServer has been part of the Python standard library since Python 2. Python 3 reorganized the module as http.server with added options for binding, directory selection, and CGI support.