hugo-server

starts a local development server with live reload

TLDR

Start development server

$ hugo server

Include draft content

$ hugo server -D

Start on a custom port

$ hugo server -p [8080]

Bind to all interfaces (accessible from other devices on the network)

$ hugo server --bind 0.0.0.0

Disable live reload

$ hugo server --disableLiveReload

Navigate to changes automatically in the browser

$ hugo server --navigateToChanged

Build and serve with a specific base URL

$ hugo server --baseURL [http://example.com]

hugo server starts a local development server with live reload. It watches for file changes and automatically rebuilds the site, then signals connected browsers to refresh via injected JavaScript.The server renders content to memory by default for speed. It defaults to localhost:1313 and enables watching/live reload automatically.

PARAMETERS

-D, --buildDrafts

Include draft content.

-E, --buildExpired

Include expired content.

-F, --buildFuture

Include content with future publish dates.

-p, --port PORT

Server port (default: 1313).

--bind ADDR

Listen address (default: 127.0.0.1).

-b, --baseURL URL

Hostname and path to the root.

--disableLiveReload

Disable automatic live reloading of browser.

--navigateToChanged

Navigate to changed content file on live reload.

--poll DURATION

Use polling with this period for file change detection (e.g., 700ms).

-w, --watch

Watch for changes and rebuild (default: true).

--noHTTPCache

Prevent HTTP caching.

--renderStaticToDisk

Serve static files from disk and dynamic files from memory.

--help

Display help information.

INSTALL

sudo apt install hugo

sudo dnf install hugo

sudo pacman -S hugo

sudo apk add hugo

sudo zypper install hugo

brew install hugo

nix profile install nixpkgs#hugo

CAVEATS

Intended for development only, not production use. The --bind 0.0.0.0 option exposes the server on all network interfaces. Memory usage can be significant with large sites since content is rendered to memory. Use --poll in environments where filesystem events are unreliable (e.g., Docker, network mounts).

HISTORY

hugo server is the built-in development server for Hugo, the open-source static site generator written in Go.