repoview

GitHub-like repo browsing — without GitHub.

When platforms change pricing/terms (even for “bring-your-own-runner” CI), it’s a reminder that Git hosting can turn into a dependency and a risk. repoview keeps the day-to-day “GitHub UI” experience local: browse, read docs, and share a repo without pushing it anywhere.

Not affiliated with GitHub.

Features

• GitHub-like browsing for local repos (tree / file / raw views)
• GitHub-style Markdown rendering (README-friendly; close-to-GitHub)
• Diff view — browse uncommitted changes against HEAD, branches, or tags (/diff)
• Live reload when files change (SSE with polling fallback)
• Broken internal link discovery for docs (/broken-links)
• Respects .gitignore by default (toggleable)
• Shared sessions (like tmux): run repoview in several repos on the same port and browse them all from one server, switching between them in the UI

Quick start (from source)

npm install
npm start -- --repo /path/to/your/repo --port 7376

Then open http://localhost:7376.

Quick start (npx)

From anywhere:

npx repoview --repo /path/to/your/repo --port 7376

By default, repoview binds to 0.0.0.0 (LAN-accessible). For localhost-only:

npx repoview --repo /path/to/your/repo --host 127.0.0.1 --port 7376

Shared sessions (multi-repo)

The first repoview on a port starts a server; later runs on the same port join it instead of failing — they register their repo and exit immediately (no need to remember a port per repo):

cd ~/work/api    && repoview            # starts the session on :7376
cd ~/work/web    && repoview            # joins :7376, registers, exits
cd ~/work/docs   && repoview            # joins :7376, registers, exits

Each repo is served at /r/<id>/…; switch between them from the dropdown in the top bar, or open Manage repos… (the /session page) to add/remove repos from the browser. Manage the session from the CLI too:

repoview ls                 # list repos in the session
repoview rm <id|path>       # unregister a repo
repoview stop               # shut the session down

Use --port to run independent sessions side by side.

Note: by default the session binds 0.0.0.0, so every repo you add is browsable by anyone on the network (you'll see a warning at startup). Session control endpoints (register / remove / stop) are restricted to localhost, and the /session page is read-only for remote viewers. Use --host 127.0.0.1 to keep a session fully local.

Why

• Keep GitHub as a remote, not your developer portal.
• Share private repos/docs on a LAN without pushing or mirroring.
• Work offline / in restricted networks with the same browsing UX.

Usage

npm start -- [--repo /path/to/repo] [--host 0.0.0.0] [--port 7376] [--no-watch]

Common flags:

• --repo: repo root
• --host, --port: bind address/port
• --no-watch: disable live reload + auto re-scan

Share on LAN (optional)

Bind to all interfaces, then open the host URL from another device:

npm start -- --repo /path/to/repo --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8890

Diff view

Navigate to /diff (or click the "Diff" link in the top bar) to see uncommitted changes. Use the dropdown to compare against HEAD, a branch, or a tag. File sections are collapsible — click a file header to collapse/expand.

UI toggles

• ?ignored=1 shows files ignored by the repo's .gitignore (default: hidden)
• ?watch=0 disables browser auto-refresh for that tab
• ?base=<ref> selects the diff comparison base (default: HEAD)

Development

• Implementation details: DEVELOPMENT.md
• CLI usage: npm start -- --help

Troubleshooting

• Seeing ENOENT .../node_modules/... in server logs: upgrade to repoview@>=0.1.2 (older versions incorrectly looked for vendor assets inside the repo you’re serving).

Contributing

• Contributing guide: CONTRIBUTING.md

License

MIT — see LICENSE.