Live Server Plus for Sublime Text

A lightweight development server with WebSocket-based live reload and directory listings—all from within Sublime Text.

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Usage

To use Live Server Plus, first open a folder or workspace (File » Open Folder) in Sublime Text. Then choose either of the following methods:

1. Main Menu

1. Go to Tools » Live Server Plus.
2. Choose one of the following:
   • Start Server
   • Stop Server
   • Open Current File

2. Command Palette

1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P to open the Command Palette.
2. Type (and select) any of these commands:
   • Live Server Plus: Start
     Starts the server on the configured port (shows a message if it’s already running).
   • Live Server Plus: Stop
     Stops the running server.
   • Live Server Plus: Open Current File
     Opens the active file in your browser using the dev server.
   • Live Server Plus: Settings
     Opens the settings file for customizing port, host, live reload, etc.

Features

• Instant Refresh
  See your browser update the moment you save a file—no manual reloading needed.

• No Extra Installs
  Runs purely on Python (already included with Sublime), so you can start right away.

• Friendly Directory View & 404
  Browse your project’s files in a clean, auto-generated list, and get custom 404s with “did you mean?” suggestions.

• Easy Setup for File Watching

  • Sublime Events: Rely on Sublime’s built-in events for instant reloads.
  • Built-in Watcher: A fallback poll-based system to catch external file changes.

• Tweak How You Like
  Pick your server host, port, or enable compression—and optionally open your default browser on start.

• Status Bar Integration
  Stay in the flow: see if the server is running (and which port it’s on).

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Installation

Via Package Control (Recommended)

1. Open the Command Palette: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P
2. Select “Package Control: Install Package”
3. Search for “LiveServerPlus” and install.

Manual Installation

1. Download or clone this repository.
2. In Sublime Text, go to Preferences > Browse Packages….
3. Move/copy the downloaded folder into the Packages directory.
4. Ensure the folder name is LiveServerPlus.

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Optional Key Bindings

You can add keyboard shortcuts by editing your Sublime key bindings. For example:

    [
        {
            "keys": ["alt+shift+s"], 
            "command": "live_server_start"
        },
        {
            "keys": ["alt+shift+o"], 
            "command": "open_current_file_live_server"
        },
        {
            "keys": ["alt+shift+x"],
            "command": "live_server_stop"
        }
    ]

Settings

Access the settings via Preferences > Package Settings > Live Server Plus > Settings. By default, you’ll see something like:

    {
        // Choose "localhost" or "0.0.0.0", etc.
        "host": "localhost",

        // Set to 0 to find an available ephemeral port automatically
        "port": 5500,

        // How often (in seconds) the built-in watcher checks for changes
        "poll_interval": 1.0,

        // Folders to ignore when scanning for changes
        "ignore_dirs": ["node_modules", ".git", "__pycache__"],

        // Automatically open default browser when the server starts
        "open_browser_on_start": true,

        // A specific browser to open (e.g., "chrome", "firefox", "")
        "browser": "",

        // Allowed file types rendered inline (others served as downloads)
        "allowed_file_types": [".html", ".css", ".js", "..."],

        // Enable gzip compression for text-based files
        "enable_compression": true,

        // Show server status in Sublime's status bar
        "status_bar_enabled": true,

        // Enable/disable CORS headers
        "cors_enabled": false,

        // Sublime-based live reload settings
        "live_reload": {
            "enabled": true,
            "css_injection": true,
            "delay": 500,
            "ignore_exts": [".log", ".map"]
        }
    }

Note: If you change port or host while the server is running, you must restart the server for those changes to take effect.

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Requirements

• Sublime Text 4
• A browser with WebSocket support (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.)

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Known Limitations

• SSL/TLS (HTTPS) is not supported out-of-the-box. For secure local development, consider a reverse proxy or other HTTPS setup.
• Large projects with many files may see higher CPU usage in poll mode. You can disable poll-based watching (live_reload.enabled = true) for Sublime-based events or ignore large directories (ignore_dirs).

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License

MIT License (see the LICENSE file for details).

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Contributing

We welcome pull requests for bug fixes, new features, or documentation improvements. Feel free to open an issue or PR on GitHub.

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Support / Issues

1. Check Issues for known problems or suggestions.
2. Open a new issue with:
   • Operating System (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Expected vs. actual behavior

Enjoy LiveServerPlus! If you find it useful, please consider giving the repo a star.