---
id: httpwatcher
version: "0.5.2"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# httpwatcher — Web server library and command-line utility for serving static files with live reload functionality

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 94.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

httpwatcher is a development-focused HTTP server that serves static files from a specified directory and automatically reloads them in the browser when changes are detected. It uses Tornado for the asynchronous HTTP and WebSocket server, watchdog to monitor file changes, and injects JavaScript into served HTML to establish a WebSocket connection back to the server for triggering reloads.

The package works both as a command-line tool (run `httpwatcher` to serve the current directory) and as a Python library you can embed in your own code. It supports custom watch paths, custom base paths for serving content, and callback hooks on reload. The author explicitly states it is intended only for developers testing static websites during development, not for production use.

Use it for:

- Develop and test static HTML/CSS/JavaScript sites locally with automatic browser refresh on file changes.
- Serve content from a non-standard base path (e.g., /blog/) during local development without needing to reconfigure your site.
- Integrate live-reload functionality into a static site generator or build pipeline via the library API.
- Quickly prototype and iterate on static web content without manual browser refresh.
- Set up a temporary local web server for testing responsive design or cross-browser compatibility.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

httpwatcher is a simple HTTP server and library for serving static files with live reload triggered via WebSockets, designed for local development and testing.

No. While the package is functional and has low install friction, it is abandoned with no maintenance since 2018 and an archived repository. Its dependencies (tornado, watchdog, future) may have compatibility issues with modern Python versions. For active development, use a maintained alternative like python-livereload or a modern build tool with live-reload support.

## Install

pip install httpwatcher
uv add httpwatcher
poetry add httpwatcher

## Installing httpwatcher

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2018-11-14 and the repository was archived after the last commit on 2021-05-25. No active maintenance or security updates are expected.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive and places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution. You can use this freely in commercial or private projects without licensing obligations.

Quickstart:

pip install httpwatcher

import httpwatcher
httpwatcher.watch("/path/to/html", open_browser=False)

Requires Python 2.7+ or Python 3.5+; exact Python version support is unspecified in the package metadata.

Verify before relying:

- Whether tornado, watchdog, and future dependencies remain compatible with modern Python versions.
- Whether the injected WebSocket JavaScript still works with current browsers.
- Current state of the archived repository and whether it accepts security patches or pull requests.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 94.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

live reload web server, static file server with auto-refresh, development http server, websocket live reload, local testing server, hot reload static files, development web server python, abandoned, development-only, live-reload

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/httpwatcher) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/httpwatcher/)