Previewing a static site, a generated docs build, or a folder of local assets usually means leaving your API workspace to start a separate server in a terminal, remember the port, and paste the URL into a browser.

HarborClient Live Servers bring that loop into the app. Save a local folder as a server, start it from the sidebar, open it in a Live Page, and inspect its access logs from the footer while the rest of your request work stays nearby.

What is a Live Server?

A Live Server is a saved local HTTP server. It points at a folder on disk and serves it at a loopback origin like http://127.0.0.1:5500. It is built for local previews, static assets, docs builds, and quick browser checks inside HarborClient.

Live Servers are different from Live Pages. A Live Page is the embedded browser session you save and revisit. A Live Server is the local origin that can host the files that page loads. Start the server, open it in a Live Page, and you have the page and the API client in one workspace.

Start from the Servers rail

Open the collection sidebar Servers rail and click New Live Server. The footer panel lets you set a name, choose a root directory, pick a port, add aliases, enable file-watch reload, and configure CORS.

• Port: leave it blank to use the next free port from 5500, or set a fixed port when you need one.
• Aliases: map a URL path like /assets to another folder, either absolute or relative to the server root.
• CORS: enable permissive local defaults, narrow origins or methods, and avoid pairing credentials with origin: *.
• Reload page when files change: reload matching browser or Live Page tabs when the root changes.

Click Save to keep the config, or Start Server to save, start, and open the origin in a browser tab. From the sidebar row you can start, open, edit, view logs, stop, delete, copy the UUID, or copy the server reference into AI chat.

Logs where you are working

Live Servers include an access-log footer panel. Open it from the server row menu and HarborClient streams request lines with method, URL, status, duration, and size. The buffer keeps up to 1000 lines per running instance, enough for a quick check of what a page loaded and what failed.

If the AI assistant is available, use Add logs to chat or select a range of lines to send an @logs.<uuid> reference. The Servers row also has Copy to chat for @live-server.<uuid>, so the assistant can inspect the server you mean without guessing.

A few useful limits

Live Servers bind to 127.0.0.1 only. They are for local development and previews, not LAN sharing or production hosting. Saving an edited config does not restart a running server; stop and start it again to apply root, port, alias, watch, or CORS changes. Deleting a saved config removes the sidebar entry but does not stop a running instance, so stop it first when you want to free the port.

Get started

The full guide is now on the docs site at harborclient.com/live-servers, including aliases, CORS, logs, AI references, and plugin access through hc.liveServers. Grab the latest HarborClient from harborclient.com or GitHub Releases, start a Live Server, and open your local build in a Live Page. Same harbor. Local server included.