wptserve
Python web server intended for in web browser testing
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are working with web-platform-tests or need a specialized test server for browser testing. The low install friction, permissive license, and stable status make it straightforward to use. However, the 455-day release gap and unspecified Python version support mean you should verify compatibility with your environment before relying on it for new projects.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python environment with h2 and pywebsocket3 available; no minimum Python version specified in metadata.
- Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies.
- Maintenance status is aging—last release was 455 days ago—so expect no active development, though the package is marked Production/Stable.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD permissive license allows use in most contexts without restriction, including commercial and proprietary projects.
last release 2025-05-16 (455 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 123,323 downloads/mo, #11,914 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install wptserve
from wptserve.server import WebTestHttpd
server = WebTestHttpd()
server.start()- Whether the package works with current Python versions (requires_python is unspecified)
- Active maintenance status and responsiveness to issues given the 455-day gap since last release
- Compatibility with modern versions of h2 and pywebsocket3
- Specific host and port configuration options supported by the server
What it is and what it does
wptserve is a specialized HTTP server written in Python for running web platform tests—automated tests that verify browser behavior and web standards compliance. It sits between a test runner and a web browser, serving test pages and handling the HTTP interactions needed to exercise browser features in a controlled way.
The server depends on h2 for HTTP/2 support and pywebsocket3 for WebSocket handling, making it capable of testing modern web protocols. It is marked Production/Stable and has been in use since 2014, but development has slowed significantly—the last release was 455 days ago. It is intended specifically for the web-platform-tests project and similar in-browser testing scenarios rather than general-purpose web serving.
Use it for
- Run web-platform-tests locally to verify browser standards compliance
- Serve test pages over HTTP/2 and WebSocket for protocol-specific browser testing
- Set up a controlled test environment for automated cross-browser testing
- Test web applications that require specific HTTP server behavior or headers
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are working with web-platform-tests or need a specialized test server for browser testing.
The low install friction, permissive license, and stable status make it straightforward to use. However, the 455-day release gap and unspecified Python version support mean you should verify compatibility with your environment before relying on it for new projects.
Install
wptserve on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies. Maintenance status is aging—last release was 455 days ago—so expect no active development, though the package is marked Production/Stable.
Requires Python environment with h2 and pywebsocket3 available; no minimum Python version specified in metadata.
License in practice
BSD permissive license allows use in most contexts without restriction, including commercial and proprietary projects.
Quickstart
pip install wptserve
from wptserve.server import WebTestHttpd
server = WebTestHttpd()
server.start()Verify before relying
- Whether the package works with current Python versions (requires_python is unspecified)
- Active maintenance status and responsiveness to issues given the 455-day gap since last release
- Compatibility with modern versions of h2 and pywebsocket3
- Specific host and port configuration options supported by the server
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesh2pywebsocket3 |
| Maintenance | Aging 455 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 123,323 / month, #11,914 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseTopic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTP :: HTTP Servers |
Evidence: wptserve-4.0.3-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “web server for testing”
- wptserveA Python web server built for testing web applications in browsers,…
- httpwatcherhttpwatcher is a simple HTTP server and library for serving static…
- pytest-aiohttpPytest plugin that provides fixtures for testing aiohttp applications…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More HTTP Servers packages
FastAPI is a Python web framework for building REST APIs using type hints, with automatic request validation, serialization, and interactive API documentation.
grpclib is a pure-Python asyncio-based implementation of gRPC that lets you build asynchronous client and server applications using protocol buffers for serialization.
SQLModel combines SQLAlchemy and Pydantic to let you define SQL database tables and rows as Python classes with type annotations, eliminating code duplication between ORM models and data validators.
Cadwyn generates older API versions automatically from your newest implementation, letting you maintain backward compatibility through small, independent version-change modules rather than duplicating code across versions.
Bottle is a lightweight WSGI microframework for building web applications in Python, providing routing, templating, and HTTP utilities with no external dependencies beyond the standard library.
Connexion builds REST APIs from OpenAPI/Swagger specifications, automatically mapping routes, validating requests and responses, and handling parameter injection without decorators.
See also pytest-playwright · pytest-playwright-asyncio · jupyter-http-over-ws · woothee · marionette-harness · browserstack-local · primp · mechanize · selenium · proxy.py