Dev Server Management

PandaOS can detect, start, and manage your project's development server, integrating it with the Browser Preview for a seamless development experience.

Framework Detection

When you add a project, PandaOS scans for common web frameworks and auto-detects:

Framework	Detection	Default Dev Command
Next.js	`next` in dependencies	`npm run dev`
Nuxt	`nuxt` in dependencies	`npm run dev`
SvelteKit	`@sveltejs/kit` in dependencies	`npm run dev`
Remix	`@remix-run/react` in dependencies	`npm run dev`
Angular	`@angular/core` in dependencies	`npm run start`
Astro	`astro` in dependencies	`npm run dev`
Vite	`vite` in dependencies	`npm run dev`
React (CRA)	`react-scripts` in dependencies	`npm run start`
Express	`express` in dependencies	`npm run start`

Detection follows a precedence order, if a project has both Vite and Next.js, Next.js is detected (as it's higher priority).

PandaOS also detects Python projects by checking for pyproject.toml, requirements.txt, setup.py, or dbt_project.yml. Python projects don't get a dev server command, but PandaOS will auto-detect virtual environments (venv, conda, poetry) and offer to enforce activation. See Python Environments for details.

Port Allocation

PandaOS automatically assigns ports to avoid conflicts:

Ports are allocated from a pool when a framework is detected
You can override the port in the Project Setup Dialog or Project Settings
Valid port range: 1,65535
Port allocation is deferred until a dev command is detected (optimization for non-web projects)

Starting the Dev Server

From the Dashboard

Each project card with a configured dev command shows server controls:

Play button, start the dev server
Stop button, stop the running server
Restart button, stop and restart
Kill + Start, kill the port process (if stuck) and restart

Dev Server States

State	Indicator	Description
Stopped	Gray	Server is not running
Starting	Amber (pulsing)	Server is booting up, health checks in progress
Running	Green	Server is running and responding to health checks
Error	Red	Server failed to start or crashed

Integration with Browser Preview

When the dev server is running:

Open the Browser Preview panel (Cmd+B)
It automatically loads your dev server's URL (e.g., http://localhost:3000)
The preview updates in real-time as you make changes (HMR/hot reload from your framework)
Use the Screenshot button to capture the preview and share it with PandaOS

Configuring the Dev Command

To change the dev command or port after setup:

Open Settings (Cmd+,)
Switch to your project's scope
Navigate to General
Edit the Dev Command and Port fields

You can also edit these in the Project Setup Dialog when adding a project.

Open Settings (Cmd+,)
Switch to your project's scope
Navigate to General
Edit the Dev Command and Port fields