dev command

Start the development server for your AO-powered application.

Syntax

ao-forge dev [options]

Options

OptionDescriptionDefault
--port <port>Port for development server3000
--host <host>Host for development serverlocalhost
--openOpen browser automaticallyfalse
--framework <framework>Framework to useAuto-detect
--process <process>Start specific AO processAll processes
--monitorEnable process monitoringfalse
--debugEnable debug modefalse
--verboseVerbose loggingfalse
--helpShow help information-

Examples

Basic Usage

# Start development server
ao-forge dev

# Start with specific port
ao-forge dev --port 3001

# Open browser automatically
ao-forge dev --open

Advanced Usage

# Start with specific framework
ao-forge dev --framework nextjs

# Start specific process
ao-forge dev --process counter

# Enable monitoring
ao-forge dev --monitor

# Enable debug mode
ao-forge dev --debug

# Verbose logging
ao-forge dev --verbose

Development Server

Frontend Development

The dev command starts a development server with:

  • Hot module replacement - Changes are reflected immediately
  • Live reloading - Page refreshes on file changes
  • Error overlay - Shows errors in the browser
  • TypeScript support - Type checking and IntelliSense
  • Source maps - Better debugging experience

Server Configuration

# Custom host and port
ao-forge dev --host 0.0.0.0 --port 3001

# Development with HTTPS
ao-forge dev --https

# Custom configuration file
ao-forge dev --config ./config/dev.yml

AO Process Integration

Starting AO Processes

# Start all processes
ao-forge dev --process

# Start specific process
ao-forge dev --process counter

# Start with monitoring
ao-forge dev --process --monitor

Process Management

# Start with custom process name
ao-forge dev --process my-process

# Start with specific wallet
ao-forge dev --process --wallet ./wallet.json

# Start with custom module
ao-forge dev --process --module <module-id>

Monitoring and Debugging

Process Monitoring

# Enable monitoring
ao-forge dev --monitor

# Monitor specific process
ao-forge dev --monitor --process counter

# View process logs
ao-forge dev --logs

Debug Mode

# Enable debug mode
ao-forge dev --debug

# Debug specific process
ao-forge dev --debug --process counter

# Step-by-step execution
ao-forge dev --debug --step

Environment Configuration

Development Environment

# Set environment
ao-forge dev --env development

# Use custom environment file
ao-forge dev --env-file .env.development

# Override environment variables
ao-forge dev --env NODE_ENV=development

AO Environment

# Set AO environment
ao-forge dev --ao-env testnet

# Use custom AO configuration
ao-forge dev --ao-config ./ao.config.yml

# Override AO settings
ao-forge dev --ao-env mainnet --ao-gateway https://arweave.net

Framework-Specific Options

Next.js Options

# Next.js specific options
ao-forge dev --framework nextjs --next-options

# Custom Next.js config
ao-forge dev --framework nextjs --next-config ./next.config.js

# Next.js development mode
ao-forge dev --framework nextjs --next-dev

Nuxt.js Options

# Nuxt.js specific options
ao-forge dev --framework nuxtjs --nuxt-options

# Custom Nuxt.js config
ao-forge dev --framework nuxtjs --nuxt-config ./nuxt.config.ts

# Nuxt.js development mode
ao-forge dev --framework nuxtjs --nuxt-dev

Performance Options

Optimization

# Enable optimizations
ao-forge dev --optimize

# Disable optimizations
ao-forge dev --no-optimize

# Custom optimization level
ao-forge dev --optimize-level 2

Caching

# Enable caching
ao-forge dev --cache

# Disable caching
ao-forge dev --no-cache

# Clear cache
ao-forge dev --clear-cache

Error Handling

Common Errors

  1. Port already in use
    Error: Port 3000 is already in use
Solution: Use --port to specify a different port
  2. Process not found
    Error: Process 'counter' not found
Solution: Check process name or use --process to list available processes
  3. Framework not detected
    Error: Framework not detected
Solution: Use --framework to specify the framework

Development Workflow

Typical Development Session

# 1. Start development server
ao-forge dev

# 2. Make changes to your code
# 3. Changes are automatically reflected
# 4. Test your application
# 5. Debug if needed
ao-forge dev --debug

# 6. Monitor processes
ao-forge dev --monitor

Hot Reloading

The development server supports hot reloading for:

  • Frontend changes - React/Vue components
  • Configuration changes - ao.config.yml
  • AO process changes - Lua files
  • Style changes - CSS files

Best Practices

  1. Use monitoring for AO processes
  2. Enable debug mode when troubleshooting
  3. Use specific ports to avoid conflicts
  4. Test frequently during development
  5. Monitor resource usage for performance
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