Zero-config live reloading
for Express.js
Automatically restart your backend and instantly refresh your frontend in the browser on every file change. A seamless developer experience.
Everything you need, nothing you don't
A frictionless development experience without the configuration overhead.
Zero Configuration
No complex setup. Just prefix your start command with liverun and get instant live reloading capabilities out of the box.
Backend Hot Restart
Automatically monitors your Node.js files and gracefully restarts the backend process efficiently whenever a change is detected.
Frontend Auto-Refresh
Changes to static assets trigger a seamless browser refresh via injected WebSockets. No manual F5 needed ever again.
How it actually works
Smart Proxying
liverun spins up a transparent proxy server that sits in front of your application. It forwards all requests seamlessly to your backend without changing standard behavior.
Intelligent Injection
As HTML responses flow through the proxy, it automatically injects a tiny, invisible WebSocket client into the page. You don't need to modify your HTML files manually.
Real-time Communication
When the built-in file watcher detects a change, it either restarts your backend node process or sends a signal over the WebSocket to instruct the browser to reload the page instantly.
Installation & Usage
Get up and running in less than a minute.
1 Install the package
Install liverun as a development dependency in your project.
2 Update package.json scripts
Add a dev script to start your application with liverun instead of node.
{
"scripts": {
"start": "node server.js",
"dev": "liverun server.js"
}
}3 Run your project
Start your development server and enjoy live reloading.