Web Server for Chrome

The next generation of Web Server for Chrome, rebuilt from scratch by the original author.

The original Chrome App was used by 200,000+ people for local web development and file sharing. Google discontinued Chrome Apps, so Web Server for Chrome is being rebuilt as:

Chrome Extension — The familiar UI, now as an extension
Desktop App — Native app (Tauri) for Mac, Windows, and Linux
CLI — ok200 command for developers who live in the terminal
Android / ChromeOS — Native app, published on Google Play

Same author. Same mission. Modern architecture.

Looking for the original Chrome App source code? See the legacy branch.

Current Status

The CLI server is functional today. The Chrome extension is published as a lightweight launcher surface, the Android app is published on Google Play, and the desktop app is in active development.

Install

Chrome Extension: Web Server for Chrome on the Chrome Web Store
Android / ChromeOS: 200 OK on Google Play
Desktop app: packaged separately; the extension can launch it via native messaging when installed

CLI Usage

npx ok200                          # serve current directory on port 8080
npx ok200 ./dist                   # serve a specific directory
npx ok200 --port 3000              # custom port
npx ok200 --host 0.0.0.0           # expose on LAN
npx ok200 ./dist --spa --cors      # SPA mode with CORS headers
npx ok200 ./dist --upload          # enable PUT/POST file uploads

CLI Options

| Flag | Description | Default | |------|-------------|---------| | --port, -p <port> | Port to listen on | 8080 | | --host, -H <host> | Host to bind | 127.0.0.1 | | --cors | Enable CORS headers | off | | --spa | Serve index.html for missing paths | off | | --upload | Enable file uploads via PUT/POST | off | | --no-listing | Disable directory listing | off | | --quiet, -q | Suppress request logging | off |

Features

Static file serving with MIME type detection
Auto-serves index.html for directories
Directory listing with file sizes and dates
ETag / If-None-Match (304) support
Path traversal protection
Graceful shutdown on SIGINT/SIGTERM

Roadmap

Coming Soon

Expanded Chrome Extension + desktop helper integration
Tauri desktop app (Mac, Windows, Linux) — ~10MB vs 100MB+ Electron alternatives
Android / ChromeOS feature expansion
HTTPS with self-signed cert generation
HTTP Basic Auth
Range requests for media streaming

Later

QR code for easy mobile access on LAN
Live reload
Multiple simultaneous servers
Reverse proxy mode

See docs/vision.md for the full roadmap.

Architecture

Platform-agnostic TypeScript HTTP engine with native I/O adapters per platform. Same adapter pattern proven in JSTorrent.

packages/engine/     Platform-agnostic HTTP server (no platform deps)
packages/cli/        CLI wrapper (Node.js adapters)
extension/           Chrome Extension
desktop/             Tauri desktop app
android/             Android app (QuickJS + Kotlin/Compose)

Migration from Chrome App

If you were a user of the original Web Server for Chrome:

The new extension is published here: Chrome Web Store listing
The Android / ChromeOS app is published here: Google Play listing
All features from the original app will be supported — same options, same workflow.
Sign up to be notified: Google Form

Development

pnpm install
pnpm build       # compile TypeScript
pnpm test        # run tests
pnpm typecheck   # type check
pnpm lint        # lint with Biome

License

MIT

🔗 More in this category