Quickly Share Files on LAN with a One‑Line Python HTTP Server

When you need to quickly share a file or folder with colleagues on the same LAN, you can start a simple HTTP server with a single Python command.

Python 3

Run the following command (replace 8000 with any free port): python -m http.server 8000 The command serves the current directory, listing files and allowing downloads. Access the server from another device by entering http://<em>server_ip</em>:8000 in a browser.

Python 2

Run the equivalent command: python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8000 Then open a browser on a phone or another computer and navigate to the same URL. The displayed files are those in the directory where the command was executed.

Note that the server runs in the foreground; pressing Ctrl+C stops it.

To find the server’s IP address on Linux, use the ifconfig command.

Effect as shown in the screenshots:

After obtaining the IP address:

Enter IP:port in a browser to see the file list and download files:

Download proceeds directly:

If the folder contains an index.html, the browser will render it as a web page. Otherwise, files such as PDFs can be opened or downloaded directly:

To enable uploads from a mobile device, a small Python script with an HTML upload form can be used. The following screenshots show the upload interface and successful transfer:

Select a file to upload:

Upload succeeds and the server side shows the received file:

This lightweight approach provides a fast, ad‑hoc solution for LAN file sharing without needing to configure FTP or other services.