Configuration

Command Line Arguments

The server is configured entirely through command line arguments.

Required Options

--root PATH

Specifies the root directory to serve files from. This is the only required option.

# Absolute path
./zserve --root /var/www/html

# Relative path
./zserve --root ./public

# Current directory
./zserve --root .

Optional Options

--port PORT / -p PORT

TCP port to listen on. Default: 8080

./zserve --root . --port 3000
./zserve --root . -p 3000

Valid range: 1-65535. Ports below 1024 may require elevated privileges.

--host HOST / -H HOST

IP address to bind the server to. Default: 127.0.0.1

# Localhost only (default)
./zserve --root . --host 127.0.0.1

# All interfaces (LAN access)
./zserve --root . --host 0.0.0.0

# Specific interface
./zserve --root . --host 192.168.1.100

Host Value	Access Level
127.0.0.1	Localhost only (most secure)
0.0.0.0	All network interfaces
192.168.x.x	Specific network interface

--help / -h

Display usage information and exit.

./zserve --help

Usage Examples

Development

# Frontend development
./zserve --root ./dist --port 3000

# API mock server
./zserve --root ./mock-api --port 8080

File Sharing

# Share files on local network
./zserve --root ./shared --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Production

# Production build with optimizations
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseFast

# Run on all interfaces
./zig-out/bin/zserve --root /var/www --host 0.0.0.0 --port 80

Environment Considerations

Port Selection

• Ports 1-1023: Require root/admin privileges
• Port 80: Standard HTTP (requires privileges)
• Port 8080: Common development port (default)
• Port 3000: Popular for development servers
• Port 8000: Alternative development port

Host Binding

Security Note

Binding to 0.0.0.0 exposes your server to all network interfaces. Only use this when you intend to share files on a network.

For local development, use the default 127.0.0.1 binding.