npm http-server with SSL

Question

I'm using the npm package "http-server" (https://www.npmjs.com/package/http-server) to set up a simple webserver, but I cannot get it to use SSL. My command in package.json is

http-server -p 8000 -o -S

with a cert.pem and key.pem in my root directory (for now). The "-o" option opens a browser to the default page, but the page is served using HTTP and not even accessible through HTTPS. I don't get any errors or warnings. I've also tried adding the "-C" and "-K" options without luck. Has any one had any success with this package?

Answer 1

First, make sure that you have key.pem and cert.pem files. You can generate them using this command:

openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -new -nodes -x509 -days 3650 -keyout key.pem -out cert.pem

You will be prompted with a few questions after entering the command. Use 127.0.0.1 as value for "Common name" if you want to be able to install the certificate in your OS's root certificate store or browser so that it is trusted.

This generates a cert-key pair and it will be valid for roughly 10 years (3650 days to be exact).

Then you need to run the server with -S for enabling SSL and -C for your certificate file:

$ http-server -S -C cert.pem -o
Starting up http-server, serving ./ through https
Available on:
  https:127.0.0.1:8080
  https:192.168.1.101:8080
  https:192.168.1.104:8080
Hit CTRL-C to stop the server