How to use the command hg serve (with examples)
Mercurial is a distributed version control system that allows users to manage their projects efficiently. One of the useful commands in Mercurial is hg serve which starts a standalone Mercurial web server for browsing repositories. This article will illustrate various use cases of the hg serve command along with their code, motivations, and explanations.
Use case 1: Start a web server instance
Code:
hg serve
Motivation:
Starting a web server instance using hg serve allows users to have a web interface to browse their Mercurial repositories easily. It provides a convenient way to visualize and navigate through the version-controlled files.
Explanation:
By simply executing hg serve, a web server instance will be started on the default port (usually 8000) and the default listening address (usually localhost). This makes the repositories accessible through a web browser by visiting http://localhost:8000.
Example output:
listening at http://localhost:8000/ (bound to *:8000)
Use case 2: Start a web server instance on a specified port
Code:
hg serve --port 8080
Motivation:
In some cases, the default port may already be in use or users want to use a specific port for their web server instance. By specifying the port using --port, users can start the web server on a desired port.
Explanation:
The --port option allows users to specify the port number on which the web server instance should listen. For example, hg serve --port 8080 will start the web server on port 8080 instead of the default port (8000).
Example output:
listening at http://localhost:8080/ (bound to *:8080)
Use case 3: Start a web server instance on a specified listening address
Code:
hg serve --address 0.0.0.0
Motivation:
By default, the web server instance only listens on the localhost address, which means it is only accessible from the local machine. However, in some scenarios, users may want to make their repositories available to other machines on the network. This can be achieved by specifying a listening address using the --address option.
Explanation:
The --address option allows users to specify the IP address on which the web server instance should listen. For example, hg serve --address 0.0.0.0 will start the web server and bind it to all available network interfaces.
Example output:
listening at http://0.0.0.0:8000/ (bound to *:8000)
Use case 4: Start a web server instance with a specific identifier
Code:
hg serve --name MyServer
Motivation:
When running multiple web server instances, it can be helpful to give them unique identifiers for easier identification. The --name option allows users to assign a specific identifier to the web server instance.
Explanation:
By using the --name option, users can specify a name or identifier for the web server instance. For example, hg serve --name MyServer will start the web server with the identifier “MyServer”.
Example output:
listening at http://localhost:8000/ (bound to *:8000)
Using name 'MyServer'
Use case 5: Start a web server instance using a specified theme
Code:
hg serve --style mytheme
Motivation: The appearance of the web interface can be customized by using different themes. This can be useful to match the look and feel of the web server instance with the preferences or branding of the user.
Explanation:
The --style option allows users to specify the name of a custom theme to be used by the web server instance. The theme should be located in the templates directory. For example, hg serve --style mytheme will start the web server using the “mytheme” theme.
Example output:
listening at http://localhost:8000/ (bound to *:8000)
Using style 'mytheme'
Use case 6: Start a web server instance using a specified SSL certificate bundle
Code:
hg serve --certificate path/to/certificate
Motivation:
In some cases, users may want to use SSL/TLS encryption for secure communication between the web server and clients. The --certificate option allows users to specify the path to an SSL certificate bundle file.
Explanation:
By using the --certificate option, users can provide the path to an SSL certificate bundle file. This enables the web server instance to use SSL/TLS encryption for secure connections. The bundle file should contain both the certificate and private key.
Example output:
listening at https://localhost:8000/ (bound to *:8000)
Using certificate 'path/to/certificate'
Conclusion:
The hg serve command is a versatile tool that provides a web-based interface for browsing Mercurial repositories. By understanding the various use cases and options available, users can customize their web server instances accordingly and enhance their version control workflow.
