Node-restify: Static file server route is confusing

Created on 20 Feb 2015 · 5Comments · Source: restify/node-restify

server.get(/\/docs\/current\/?.*/, restify.serveStatic({
  directory: './documentation/v1',
  default: 'index.html'
}));

As per the documentation, it will serve _./documentation/v1/docs/current/index.html_.
But it should serve _./documentation/v1/index.html_ right?

Thus, if I have a static folder, in which I have coverage.html, then if I use the code

server.get(/\/public\/?.*/, restify.serveStatic({
  directory: './static',
  default: 'index.html'
}));

And if I call the route _/public/coverage.html_, then it will serve the _./static/coverage.html_.

Thanks,
Raghu

Question

Source

RaghavendhraK

👍8 😕1

Most helpful comment

:-1: Documentation sux

marcellodesales on 9 Apr 2015

👍11 👎2

All 5 comments

I have thought the same reading the documentation.

ramiel on 26 Mar 2015

:-1: Documentation sux

marcellodesales on 9 Apr 2015

👍11 👎2

Weird behaviour

YagoQuinoy on 6 Oct 2016

@RaghavendhraK "But it should serve ./documentation/v1/index.html right?"
Why.. ? Initially I was thinking the same thing too, i.e. the route /\/docs\/current\/?.*/ _should_ describe an abstract virtual action (having used ASP.NET MVC routing). But that's just not the way restify works, and once you learn how it works (as described in the docs), then it should be no more confusing.
Also it is more flexible the way it is.. the route is a RegEx so, for example, server.get(/\/test.*/.*/, restify.serveStatic({ can handle any url localhost:8080:test/, localhost:8080:testis/, localhost:8080:testicles/, localhost:8080:test/somePage.html, localhost:8080:testicles/anotherPage.html, and provided the files exist on disk, they will be served.

@marcellodesales "documentation sux"
Why? it's describing exactly what restify does, not what you think it should do.