Basic HTTP Web Server using Python
Python make
use of SimpleHTTPServer —
Simple HTTP request handler to start for starting a New Web Server to serve the
file relative to current directory. We can setup this Simple Web Server within
seconds without any effort.
Note : Before moving ahead, I just want to let you know that this functionality is available only with Version 2.4 or Later. $”python -m http.server [port]” for Python 3.
Installation and Verification :
Install
python, if you have don’t have installed, then please install.
//Redhat/Centos/Fedora
# yum
install python OR #rpm
–ivh python-version.rpm
//On Ubuntu
#sudo
apt-get install python
//Verify the Installation(Redhat/Centos)
#yum
list python
Loaded plugins: downloadonly, rhnplugin,
security
This system is receiving updates from RHN
Classic or RHN Satellite.
Installed Packages
python.x86_64
2.4.3-56.el5 installed
Start Basic Web Server :
You can start basic web server by using one single command
as below. By default it will get started on Port 8000 and IP 0.0.0.0 .
$
python -m SimpleHTTPServer
Serving
HTTP on 0.0.0.0 port 8000 ...
Now
you can access this using any IP on your system and Port 8000. You will be able
to see all contents on current directory as below :
Now
what if you have already another service using this default port i.e. 8000. In
that case you’ll get exceptions :
$
python -m SimpleHTTPServer
Traceback
(most recent call last):
File
"/usr/lib64/python2.4/SimpleHTTPServer.py", line 206, in ?
test()
File "/usr/lib64/python2.4/SimpleHTTPServer.py",
line 202, in test
BaseHTTPServer.test(HandlerClass,
ServerClass)
File
"/usr/lib64/python2.4/BaseHTTPServer.py", line 569, in test
httpd = ServerClass(server_address,
HandlerClass)
File "/usr/lib64/python2.4/SocketServer.py",
line 330, in __init__
self.server_bind()
File
"/usr/lib64/python2.4/BaseHTTPServer.py", line 101, in server_bind
SocketServer.TCPServer.server_bind(self)
File
"/usr/lib64/python2.4/SocketServer.py", line 341, in server_bind
self.socket.bind(self.server_address)
File "", line 1, in
bind
socket.error:
(98, 'Address already in use')
Start Basic Web Server on different Port :
We can start Web Server other than
default by passing Port as argument.
$ python -m SimpleHTTPServer 1234
Serving HTTP on 0.0.0.0 port 1234
...
Above command starting Server on
Port 1234.
Start Basic Web Server on different IP and Port :
We can
use below code snippet for starting Web Server on Any specified Port and IP.
$cat webshare.py
import sys
import BaseHTTPServer from SimpleHTTPServer import
SimpleHTTPRequestHandler
HandlerClass = SimpleHTTPRequestHandler
ServerClass =
BaseHTTPServer.HTTPServer
Protocol =
"HTTP/1.0"
if sys.argv[1:]:
port =
int(sys.argv[1])
else:
port = 1234
server_address = (’192.168.2.145', port)
HandlerClass.protocol_version = Protocol
httpd = ServerClass(server_address, HandlerClass)
sa = httpd.socket.getsockname()
print "Serving HTTP on", sa[0],
"port", sa[1], "..."
httpd.serve_forever()
Run this python script:
$ python webshare.py
Serving HTTP on 192.168.2.145 port 1234 ...
Advantages :
Ø comes with python (>= 2.4), no need to
install anything.
Ø
no configuration needed.
