Running a web server on my Android

I have never attempted this before. I was deciding on what to blog about today and it occured to me that this would be a fun project and blog post. The first thing I had to do was see what apps were available and I was looking for apps where I would not have to do any rooting of my android device.

I searched the play store for "web server", looking at number of installs for popular apps. Then for free options and then the reviews. No quick obvious option so now I turned to a google search for "android web server".

HTTP server powered by Apache seems like a popular and useful option but I get, your device is not compatible with this version in the play store. My mobile is a Samsung M30 running Android 10.

I also came across Tiny Web Server which I decided to try. It's simple but I can review other options in another blog post. Today I just want to get started. I installed the app and was greeted with the warning, "this app was built for an older version of Android and may not work properly. Try checking for updates or contact the developer."

I opened up my file manager app and created a folder called WEB and used that folder as the server path in the app. I then clicked on start server. I went over to the Chrome mobile brower and opened up url localhost to see what would happen. The browser returned, "This site can’t be reached localhost refused to connect. Try: Checking the connection ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED". I then tried the ip address. Same thing. I then decided that I probably needed an index.html.

I then installed HTML editor by Subedi and created a simple index.html in the WEB folder. After a short while of trying I realised that you have to specify the complete URL with port and file name to see the web page. For me that was http://192.168.0.15:8080/index.html

Web server on Android


Then I tested if it could handle a javascript alert. It worked. What I realised now though, was that I had to restart the server whenever I made changes. Also, without specifying filename in url the server serves up a directory listing.

So that was my first and quick attempt at serving static website content from my android smartphone. In a future blog post I will look at doing more with this project like using the No-IP.com app to map ip address to a named url.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let the flowers bloom again

This will be my submission to the Cropper Foundation's call for submissions for their anthology on the topic of climate change and climate justice. Writing for our lives and climate justice. The first thing that I noticed is that the first letters of the words of the phrase "writing for our lives" can form the word wolf and then also fowl. Which had me thinking, "Who are the wolf and fowl in the climate justice story?" I asked my friend Gemini but he had no direct answer. I had to ask some related questions and “eat or be eaten” came to my mind. The wolf and the fowl are both valuable to nature and the balance of nature. Climate change comes about when we destroy the balance of nature. How can I make sense of all of this? Are the ones most affected by climate change the fowls? And the ones most contributing to climate change, the wolves? Are we the fowls in Trinidad and the Caribbean? Is the developed world the wolf? This also reminds me of something I saw on fa
Read more

Small island but big heart

This will be my submission to the Caribbean Writer's call for submissions for volume 39. https://www.thecaribbeanwriter.org/2024/03/01/accepting-submissions-for-volume-39/ The theme is "Possibilities: Beyond Tradition, Inside of Courage." The word that stands out to me here is courage. I read that the word "courage" comes from the Latin word cor, which means "heart". In earlier times the word was used for speaking one's mind bravely. I asked my friend Gemini to explain the theme to me and he suggested that true possibilities lie in venturing beyond the boundaries of tradition, and that courage is necessary to embrace these possibilities and create something new. This has me thinking about my Caribbeaness. What it means to be from the islands? What it means to be Trinidadian? How it shapes my approach to life? How what limits me makes me stronger? I have learnt to be creative and make the best of what I have. I am from a small island but I have a bi
Read more

My Experience Setting Up FLOW's TG2492LG-FLO WIFI Modem

Image
Note : I get a lot of views on this blog post. It helps with future updates, if you message me stating what you need help with. See video on how to change password - Change Flow Trinidad Wifi Modem Password - TG2492LG-FLO I had one of the early purely modem devices for about 7 or more years now. I connected this to my Linksys router and I was set. The router is old and does not have all the features of modern routers but it worked. Did a house call the other day and saw that the person had the WIFI modem with their AVS setup. Then it occurred to me that I should switch out my modem for a WIFI modem. That way I wouldn't have to worry about buying a new router when it was time for that. Made some notes after setting up my device and I am sharing it on my blog here. I access the settings using the https link so that credentials entered are encrypted while communicating with the router - https://192.168.0.1/ The username is admin and the default password is printed on the bottom of the
Read more

How can you make money online in Trinidad and Tobago?

This is a common question. Maybe you are now out of school. Maybe you are looking for a side hustle. Trinidad and Tobago has good internet infrastructure and good options for high speed broadband internet and mobile internet. We have cheap electricity. We have free education. We have no taxes on computer equipment. We have an enabling environment for persons who want to make money. One question that will arise as you make plans for your hustle is how do you accept payments online? Services like Paypal are not officially supported in Trinidad. Wipay is an alternative that was started in Trinidad. If you are getting paid through Youtube and adsense you can have a check mailed to you. If you are working for a remote employer you can have them wire transfer your salary. If you are advertising your services online, it helps to have a strong online presence. Make it easy for potential clients to find you and interact with you. There are freelance services marketplaces like Fiverr. There are
Read more

Society united now

I went out for lunch today. I walked in the blazing midday sun. Beads of sweat drained from my sun tanned forehead. The air condition in the food shop struggles to keep the room cool. I think to myself that imagine we are in the rainy season now. What will happen in the dry season? I was chatting with a friend and he asked if this was climate change and I agreed. And as God would have it, I was scrolling through facebook and came across an art and writing challenge where the topic is Perspectives of Trinidad and Tobago on the Just Transition. The message from God was clear, this is your chance to make a difference. According to the ILO website, a Just Transition involves maximizing the social and economic opportunities of climate action, while minimizing and carefully managing any challenges. I decided to lend my voice to this effort by doing what I am good at, blogging. I decided to be creative with the title and spell out sun as society united now. One way I imagine progress being m
Read more