How to Run A Webserver From Your Computer

Find your web server computer., Get a good web server program., Configure the web server., Create a basic main page to test the server.,Check that you can see the website from http://127.0.0.1/.,Get a friend to test your site on http://yourWANip/...

8 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Find your web server computer.

    The computer should be able to store a lot of information.

    The processor is not very important.

    If you have a router, the computer should be directly connected to that router and not wireless to minimize server downtime.
  2. Step 2: Get a good web server program.

    The program runs the web server so it is very important.

    If possible, find a program that can run in the background without making your computer unusable.

    One of the more popular web servers is Apache. , Normally the web server program has a guide on how to do this. , Make sure that you put this file in your web server's document path and name it as one of the index files. , If you see the site continue to the next step.

    If your server does not run on port 80 then test your site on http://127.0.0.1:portnumber/.

    You may need to reconfigure your web server if you can't see this site at all. , If he/she sees the site then continue on.

    If not, check some of the tips. , If you have a dynamic ip, make sure that the domain registrar has dynamic DNS services. , If you want to use server-side scripting you will need to install those applications and configure them in your server.
  3. Step 3: Configure the web server.

  4. Step 4: Create a basic main page to test the server.

  5. Step 5: Check that you can see the website from http://127.0.0.1/.

  6. Step 6: Get a friend to test your site on http://yourWANip/.

  7. Step 7: Purchase a domain and set it to your WAN ip.

  8. Step 8: Make your site.

Detailed Guide

The computer should be able to store a lot of information.

The processor is not very important.

If you have a router, the computer should be directly connected to that router and not wireless to minimize server downtime.

The program runs the web server so it is very important.

If possible, find a program that can run in the background without making your computer unusable.

One of the more popular web servers is Apache. , Normally the web server program has a guide on how to do this. , Make sure that you put this file in your web server's document path and name it as one of the index files. , If you see the site continue to the next step.

If your server does not run on port 80 then test your site on http://127.0.0.1:portnumber/.

You may need to reconfigure your web server if you can't see this site at all. , If he/she sees the site then continue on.

If not, check some of the tips. , If you have a dynamic ip, make sure that the domain registrar has dynamic DNS services. , If you want to use server-side scripting you will need to install those applications and configure them in your server.

About the Author

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Gregory Taylor

Brings years of experience writing about home improvement and related subjects.

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