How to host a http server on your linux computer to share files

Utpal Kumar   5 minute read      

In this post, we will see how we can create a http webserver using Python 3. There are so many applications for such servers. One of them is the quick way to share your files to someone, or host your website or blog. You can also use paramiko module in Python to securely send files from one computer to another.

If you host your website or blog locally then you don’t need to pay hosting fee to any agent and everything will be in your reach. However, there are other benefits of hosting your website through a good web-hosting platform. I will not go into that details in this post.

Key idea — one command turns the current folder into a website. python -m http.server starts a tiny web server that serves whatever directory you run it from (and everything beneath it) over your local network. No install, no config, no framework — it’s built into Python 3. That convenience is also the catch: it hands out those files to anyone who can reach the port, with no password and no encryption, so where you run it and which network you’re on matters a lot.

python -m http.server exposes the current folder to the local network Running python -m http.server on your computer serves the current directory over your LAN on port 8000, and any device that can reach that address can browse and download the files with no login or encryption. Your computer python -m http.server serves the current folder + all of it http://IP:8000 over the LAN Any device on the network browses & downloads freely no login · no HTTPS it exposes the whole directory to anyone who can reach the port
What python -m http.server actually does: serves the current directory to any device on the network, unauthenticated and unencrypted.

The module we will we using for hosting a http server comes by default on your Python3 installation - http.server. It is also super easy to run. Let us go through two examples.

Python 2 → 3 note. On old tutorials you’ll see python -m SimpleHTTPServer. That was Python 2; in Python 3 it became python -m http.server. If plain python points at Python 2 on your system, use python3 -m http.server.

Host your files on the http server

Let us create a directory called mywebserver. This will serve as our root of the server. THen we create two more sub-directories inside mywebserver directory.

mkdir mywebserver
cd mywebserver/
mkdir importantFiles notSoImportantFiles
Create directories
Create directories

Then we create some files in each subdirectories:

touch importantFiles/myFile{1..5}
touch notSoImportantFiles/myFile{1..5}
Create files
Create files

Now, we have enough to serve our server. So, let’s not delay anymore and start our server.

python -m http.server
HTTP Server Running
HTTP Server Running

And, we have our server serving at the ip_address:port. To check the ip address of your system, you can type:

ip addr
Handy flags: port, bind address, and serving a different folder

The default port is 8000. A few options worth knowing:

python -m http.server 9000              # use port 9000 instead of 8000
python -m http.server --bind 127.0.0.1  # localhost only — not reachable from other machines
python -m http.server --directory /path/to/share   # serve another folder without cd-ing (Python 3.7+)

--bind 127.0.0.1 is the safest way to test locally: the server is reachable only from your own machine.

That’s it. It is as easy as this to host your personal web server using Python. Please note that in some cases, your server may not be accessible from the remote computer. This may probably be because of your system’s firewall. You can stop the firewall temporarily using:

sudo systemctl stop firewalld

Don’t disable your firewall — open one port instead. Turning the firewall off exposes every service on your machine, not just this server. Prefer allowing the single port on a trusted network:

sudo ufw allow 8000/tcp            # Debian/Ubuntu (ufw)
sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=8000/tcp   # Fedora/RHEL (firewalld), add --permanent to persist

And remember what this server is: plain HTTP, no authentication. Anyone who can reach your-ip:8000 can read and download everything in the served directory. Only run it on networks you trust (home/office LAN), serve a directory that contains only what you mean to share, and stop it (Ctrl+C) when you’re done. Never expose it directly to the public internet — for that, use a real server (nginx/Apache) with TLS, or a tool like ngrok for a temporary authenticated tunnel.

Host a blog

Now, we will create a very simple blog, and host it on our personal server. I will copy the html and css codes from the w3schools.com.

mkdir mypersonalBlog
cd mypersonalBlog/
touch index.html
Creating and running a blog locally
Creating and running a blog locally

Now open the index.html page and copy and paste the codes from w3schools.com.

Next, you can start your server.

python -m http.server
The blog as seen from another computer
The blog as seen from another computer

Quick check: You run python -m http.server inside your home directory to send one file to a friend. What’s the risk?

  • None — it only shares the one file you intend
  • It serves your entire home directory to anyone who can reach the port — run it from a folder that contains only what you want to share
  • It permanently opens your machine to the internet
  • It encrypts the files, so only your friend can read them

Recap

  • python -m http.server = instant file sharing. Built into Python 3, it serves the current directory over your LAN — no install or config.
  • It’s Python 3’s SimpleHTTPServer. Use python3 -m http.server if python is Python 2.
  • Know the flags. Port number as an argument, --bind 127.0.0.1 to stay local-only, --directory to serve elsewhere (3.7+).
  • Treat it as insecure by default. No auth, no HTTPS — serve a purpose-built folder on a trusted network, open a single firewall port (don’t disable the firewall), and never expose it to the open internet.

Where to go next

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