TinyServer vs WorldWideWeb

Use your mobile device as a web server! Access static websites from a computer or other mobile device. FEATURES • use folders stored locally on your iPhone/iPad or in iCloud • serve static files and websites over HTTP • enable Directory Listing to browse the selected folder in your browser • Bonjour: no need to type in IP addresses - TinyServer will show a friendly URL like http://myiPhone.local:8080 • iPad Multitasking: use an external editor to edit your files and preview them in Safari running alongside TinyServer • Open an in-app browser to access your served files • See the access log of the web server • Basic auth protection CHOOSING A FOLDER There are several ways to open a folder to be served by TinyServer. • In the app, tap "Choose Folder", then long-press a folder to bring up the context menu. Choose "Serve in TinyServer" • In the app, tap "Choose Folder", tap "Select" in the navigation bar, select a folder and tap "Open" in the navigation bar • on iPad, you can have the files app and TinyServer side by side in multitasking. You can drag and drop folders to the top of the TinyServer interface.  Keep in mind that this way creates a copy, so if you change the files you have to drag them to the app again to see the changes. IMPORTANT: The web server cannot run in the background. Keep TinyServer in the foreground and the device unlocked. If you do change apps, the web server will restart automatically when you bring the TinyServer app back to the foreground. TinyServer only works on local WiFi. The web server is not accessible via a cellular network connection. It is meant for static files, so you can't run e.g. a PHP or Ruby on Rails backend from it.

This app’s name is an homage to the world’s first web server. Back in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee started the web on his NeXT computer. On that computer was an app named WorldWideWeb. This app was unique because it allowed his machine to edit and serve HTML documents. The app also used coding frameworks that were adopted by Apple after purchasing NeXT: they are being used right now to display what you’re reading. Like that original app, this WorldWideWeb is a handy web development tool. It’s designed for people who need to test things on their iPad or iPhone before moving the files onto a real web server like Apache or nginx. It also allows you to work in those increasingly rare moments where you don’t have a connection to the Internet. App developers can use this server to simulate and test APIs that their product uses. FEATURES WorldWideWeb does things differently than today’s production web servers: • Automatic refresh — Watches your site and reloads browser when there are changes • No caching — Every request gets a new response, no cache busters needed • Easy to configure — Pick a folder and go • Directory listings — A handy list of files whenever you hit a URL that doesn’t exist • Bonjour support – Automatic DNS for easy access using devices on your local network • REST support — Set default responses as JSON or XML for easy mocking of APIs • No external dependencies — Completely standalone and doesn’t need other tools like Python or Ruby • Built-in security — Runs completely in a sandbox, no access to data unless you allow it • Powerful and lightweight – A small memory footprint with minimal CPU overhead • No rocket science — Perfect for clients and other folks who are less technically inclined