# Preview

You can start a local web server to preview your documentation site as you write. This allows you to view your site in a web browser without deploying it to a remote server.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **Use this command for preview only**
>
> Note that the web server that is built into Zensical is intended for preview purposes only. It is not designed for production deployment. We recommend to use a dedicated web server like nginx or Apache.

## Usage

```sh
zensical serve [OPTIONS]
```

This starts a local web server that serves your documentation site on [localhost:8000](<http://localhost:8000>). As you make changes to source files, the browser will automatically reload the page you're on.

Files matched by [`draft_docs`](<https://zensical.org/docs/setup/basics/#draft_docs>) are included during preview, and a draft notice is added to draft pages. Draft pages are omitted from the default navigation and can be opened by URL. Files matched by [`exclude_docs`](<https://zensical.org/docs/setup/basics/#exclude_docs>) are excluded from preview.

## Options

The `serve` command accepts the following options:

| Option | Short | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `--config-file` | `-f` | Path to the config file to use. |
| `--open` | `-o` | Open preview in default browser |
| `--dev-addr <IP:PORT>` | `-a` | IP address and port (default: localhost:8000) |
| `--help` |  | Show a help message and exit. |