livereload

library2.7.1pypypi✓ verified 22d ago

Python LiveReload is a tool for web developers that automatically reloads webpages in the browser when file changes are detected. It provides a WSGI-compatible server and a command-line utility, focusing on simple, real-time feedback during development. The current version is 2.7.1, with a release cadence that includes bug fixes and minor enhancements.

web-framework devops http-networking

pip install livereload

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · LIVERELOAD

livereload

web-frameworkpythonv2.7.1

Install

1.8s avg

Import

457ms

Disk

20MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v2.7.1 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.494s · 21.3MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 1.8s · import 0.420s · 22MB

20MB installed

● package 20MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

Server

✓ from livereload import Server

shell

✓ from livereload import shell

This quickstart creates a simple HTML file, then starts a LiveReload server that watches for changes to any `.html` files in the current directory. It will automatically open a browser tab to `http://localhost:5500` and reload it when files change.

import os from livereload import Server, shell # Create a dummy index.html for demonstration with open('index.html', 'w') as f: f.write('<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html><head><title>LiveReload Test</title></head><body><h1>Hello, LiveReload!</h1></body></html>') server = Server() server.watch('*.html') server.serve(open_url_delay=1)

livereload --version

Debug

Known issues

breakingThe `Guardfile` configuration method was removed in version 2.0.0. Older setups relying on a `Guardfile` will no longer work.

fix

Rewrite your watch rules using the Python API `server.watch()` within a Python script instead of a `Guardfile`.

affects: <2.0.0

gotchaWhen watching a large number of files, or during a build process that generates many files, `livereload` can trigger excessive reloads and high CPU usage.

fix

Use the `delay` parameter in `server.watch(filepath, func=None, delay=None)` to debounce reloads, or specify more granular file patterns to watch.

affects: All versions

gotcha`livereload` internally uses `Tornado`'s IOLoop. Improper integration with existing `Tornado` applications or other async loops can lead to issues, especially around the loop's lifecycle.

fix

Ensure that `livereload`'s server and your application's `IOLoop` (if any) are properly managed. Version 2.7.1 includes a fix for IOLoop stopping, but complex `Tornado` integrations may still require careful handling.

affects: All versions

gotchaWhile a command-line interface (`livereload` command) is available, it's recommended to use the Python API for more advanced or custom watching scenarios, especially since the removal of `Guardfile`.

fix

Create a Python script (e.g., `serve.py`) that imports `Server` and `shell` and defines your watch rules programmatically, then run it with `python serve.py`.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaWhen running behind a reverse proxy, particularly with HTTPS, the `livereload.js` client might attempt to connect via `ws://` instead of `wss://`, leading to connection errors.

fix

Configure your reverse proxy to correctly handle WebSocket connections and ensure that the `Host` and `X-Forwarded-Proto` headers are passed through, or specify `liveport` explicitly if needed.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'livereload'

The `livereload` package is not installed in the Python environment being used, or the Python interpreter cannot find it.

fix

Install the `livereload` package using pip: `pip install livereload`.

TypeError: WSGIContainer.environ() missing 1 required positional argument: 'request'

This error typically occurs when `python-livereload` is used with a newer version of `Tornado` (6.3.0 or higher), as the `WSGIContainer.environ()` method in `Tornado` changed its signature and is no longer a static method.

fix

Downgrade the `Tornado` library to a version prior to 6.3.0 by specifying it in your requirements or installation command: `pip install 'tornado<6.3.0'`.

LiveReload exception: <urlopen error [Errno 61] Connection refused>" or "Could not connect to LiveReload server"

The browser client cannot establish a connection with the LiveReload server, which can be due to the server not running, being blocked by a firewall, or the client trying to connect to the wrong host or port.

fix

Ensure the LiveReload server is running (e.g., `livereload` from the command line or via a Python script calling `server.serve()`). Check that no other application is using the default LiveReload port (35729 or 5500 for `server.serve()`) and that your firewall isn't blocking the connection. If using a custom host/port, ensure consistency between server and client configuration. For Django, ensure `django-livereload-server` is configured correctly.

Page not reloading / displaying cached files (browser caching issue)

While LiveReload successfully signals the browser to refresh, the browser often serves cached versions of CSS or JavaScript files instead of the updated ones, especially in browsers like Chrome.

fix

To force the browser to fetch fresh assets, append a dynamic version query parameter to your static file URLs (e.g., `?version={{ time() }}` in Flask templates) or disable browser caching during development in your browser's developer tools.

unknown command:'livereload' (when running python manage.py livereload)

This error occurs in a Django project when the `django-livereload-server` application is not correctly installed or configured in `settings.py`, preventing Django from recognizing the `livereload` management command.

fix

Ensure `django-livereload-server` is installed (`pip install django-livereload-server`) and `livereload` is added to your `INSTALLED_APPS` in `settings.py` before `django.contrib.staticfiles`.

Upgrade

Version history

2.7.1latest on PyPI · released Dec 18, 2024

Audit

Dependencies

pyinotifyoptionalRecommended for performance on Linux for file watching.

Agent activity

5 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/lepture/python-livereload ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/livereload/ ↗