How To Turn Your Android Device Into a Web Server

Accessing the internet is one of the common tasks that we do in our daily routine. People with their own website depend on their web server to deliver their content to the end users. But, what if your web server is damaged or you want a replacement server urgently?

If you are intrigued by this question, then you are in the right place. This guide will show you step by step procedure on how to turn your Android device into a web server. It might not be as good as your huge web server. But, it will get the job done. Let us understand more in detail.

How To Use Android As a Low-Cost Web Server

In order to run websites, you do not need expensive and huge servers. With the advancement of technology, we can now run a database driven website on a modest device. Your Android device is powerful enough to be used as a web server.

It can act as a full-fledged web server which is accessible via LAN or any form of internet. You can test your codes without paying for a hosting service. Moreover, freelancers can carry the tools they created to show to their clients. Besides, it a pocket device which you can travel anywhere.

Step 1: Download Tiny Web Server for Android

Tiny web server is the latest web server application available for Android. You might find many other similar apps for a web server. But, the fact is that they are outdated. They are intended to run on older Android Platforms.

Tiny Web Server App

You can download the Tiny Web Server app from the above image or go to the Play Store. In this guide, we will upload a basic index.html file using Android as a web server. We will then access the file from a PC on the same network.

Step 2: Configure Tiny Web Server

Tiny Web Server is a brilliant app converting your Android device into a web server. It is the preferred app because it receives frequent updates and supports the latest Android versions. You can use this app to serve content from your phone in an easy way.

Tiny Web Server

Moreover, you can also do simple tasks using this app. You can access your phone’s internal storage via your PC if both are on the same network. This guide is fun and a great way to enhance your knowledge. It has a pretty simple and easy to use interface. You cannot force it to default to an index.html as there is no configuration option.

After you have installed the Tiny Web Server from the Play Store, open the app. One the main screen, you will have and the option of changing the server path. This is helpful when you want to store your web files on a specific directory.

It also offers to specify a Default Charset. This comes handy when you are not trying to host an English Language site or basically a server port.

Step 3: Add Index.html to Tiny Web Server

Now to start with Tiny Web Server, you need to create an index.html file. To start serving web pages via this application you need to perform this step. After this, you need to specify a folder to upload the files on that preferred folder.

Creating index file on a editor

 

You can easily do it with the help of a PC/Laptop. You can use a text editor like Notepad ++ or an Android text editor.

Now, copy the files in the specified directory via a USB or any Android file manager application on your Android device. Move the files to /storage/emulated/0.

Moreover, if you are copying the files to your Android smartphone via USB cable, then open the phone’s storage in the file manager. Besides, the default location should be the emulated sub-directory. Copy the HTML (index.html) file to this directory and safely disconnect your device.

After copying the file to Android, open Tiny Web Server and the Start Server button. You can now navigate in your browser to the default URL by adding index.html at the end.

Android Web server page

After you have done the last step, you have successfully converted your Android smartphone into a Web Server. The example shown here is basic with no styling and other features. But with some tweaks and you can add CSS instructions into the HTML file. Moreover, you can still use your Android smartphone while hosting a website.

How Would People Visit Your Android Server Based Web Pages

People can visit your Android-based server web page. It does not matter whether you are hosting the web page via smartphone, tablet or PC. Moreover, you can use your Android TV as well. Whenever a Dynamic DNS update client is used in conjunction with an Android device, you will be able to access the web pages through your home or corporate network.

These server-based apps link your device’s dynamic IP address to a dedicated URL. Besides, it can be done via the client app that you install and use. Moreover, in case your ISP provides you a static IP, then you need to assign a static IP address to your Android web server.

It does not matter whichever one you choose. If you have followed the above-mentioned steps then you will be able to host via your Android smartphone. Simply install the app, set a URL as mentioned in the steps, select the destination as your HTML page and you are done with the easy process.

 

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