devd is a local webserver for developers that serves files and reverse proxies to local applications with integrated livereload capability.
The tool addresses the friction of manual browser refreshes during development. It injects a small script into HTML pages that listens over a websocket for change notifications, reloading resources intelligently—CSS-only changes trigger stylesheet reloads while other changes trigger full page reloads. The livereload mechanism works even when reverse proxying to local applications, and you can watch source directories separate from what is being served, allowing you to reload a reverse proxied app when its source files change. File patterns can be excluded from triggering reloads using pattern specifications.
Developers working on frontend projects or those building local applications benefit most from devd. It suits projects where you want a minimal, self-contained tool without installing Node or Python dependencies. The tool automatically selects an open port unless specified, can open your browser automatically, and supports TLS via auto-generated self-signed certificates stored in a local directory. The project mentions modd, a sister tool for running commands and managing daemons in response to filesystem changes, which can be paired with devd to rebuild projects and reload browsers together.
The project maintains a terminal-first design philosophy with no configuration files or daemonization, favoring colorized, detailed logs readable in the terminal that warn about corner cases. Development activity shows consistent engagement with bug fixes and feature refinements addressing real usage scenarios. The maintainer responds to issues and pull requests, indicating active stewardship of the codebase. Updates address both core functionality and edge cases that users encounter in practice.
