Local http server is useful in frontend development, and there are myriad of options for its setup. From ease of setup to features, each of them has its pros and cons.

python solutions

twisted web

twisted is a python framework for making network applications. By installing twisted, you get a full blown, production ready http server, twisted web.

To start, installation of twisted is required, then run

twistd.py web --port=8000 --path=.

python standard module

Python standard module contains a easy to use static server, no other dependency is required.

# python 3
python -m http.server 8000
# python2
python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8000

nodejs solutions

nodejs has ad hoc static server, serv. You need to first install the package from npm.

npm install serv --save
serv --port=80

Traditional solutions

wamp, nginx are also viable solutions. Sometimes too complex for a frontend development server, and I won't discus further about them.