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AngularJS is an incredibly powerful framework that enables you to create dynamic web applications. Developed by Google, AngularJS brings simplicity and ease-of-use to the world of single-page apps. However, there is a common problem that often arises when using this framework. Developers commonly wonder: “How do I access my Angular app from outside localhost?” In this article, we will answer this question and guide you through the process.
AngularJS makes it easy to build dynamic web applications, but when it comes to accessing these apps from outside localhost, developers often find themselves facing some challenges. The aim of this article is to help you understand why this is so and what you can do about it.
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Problem and its solution
By default, AngularJS applications are only accessible to your local machine. This means if you try to access the application from an external machine you’ll not be able to. This happens as AngularJS uses a local development server and only listens to the localhost. To make the AngularJS application accessible outside of localhost, you have to configure the development server to listen to all IP addresses.
ng serve --host 0.0.0.0
This command tells the AngularJS development server to listen to all available network interfaces.
Step-by-step code explanation
ng serve is the command you use to start AngularJS server. It compiles your application and starts the development server. By default, this server is only accessible via localhost.
ng serve
When you append –host 0.0.0.0 to this command, you’re telling the development server to listen to all network interfaces on your computer, not just localhost. This allows your AngularJS application to be accessible from outside.
ng serve --host 0.0.0.0
After you run this updated command, your AngularJS app should be visible outside of localhost. You can confirm this by using the IP address of your computer on the network instead of ‘localhost’ in the address bar of the browser.
Possible complications
Even after implementing the above solution, you might encounter a couple of issues. One of them could be firewall rules that may block incoming traffic to certain ports. Hence, ensure the port AngularJS is using is open in your firewall settings.
Another issue could be network configuration and restrictions at an organizational level. So if you are within a larger network as is the case with corporate offices, you might need to request changes from your network administrator.
Although accessing an AngularJS app outside localhost can prove to be a little troublesome, it is not an insurmountable hurdle. With the right techniques, you can have your application up and running, and accessible from other computers in no time.
Libraries or functions associated with this problem
The primary function involved in this process is the ng serve function. It is a part of the Angular CLI (Command Line Interface). Angular CLI is a command-line tool that you can use to initialize, develop, scaffold, and maintain AngularJS applications directly from a command shell.
