EvanBacon

EvanBacon / serve-sim

Public

The `npx serve` of Apple Simulators.

371
22
100% credibility
Found May 02, 2026 at 372 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
Sign Up Free
AI Analysis
TypeScript
AI Summary

A command-line tool that streams a live iOS Simulator view to a web browser with full touch, gesture, and file-drag interaction for remote testing.

How It Works

1
🔍 Discover easy simulator sharing

You hear about a simple way to view and control your iPhone simulator right in a web browser, perfect for testing apps from anywhere.

2
🚀 Start with one click

Run a quick command on your Mac to launch the simulator preview server and see it appear at a local web address.

3
👀 Watch live video

Open the web page to see smooth 60 FPS video of your booted simulator, just like looking at a real device.

4
🖐️ Touch and gesture

Click, drag, pinch to zoom, or swipe from the bottom to interact naturally, with keyboard shortcuts like home button working too.

5
📱 Drop files or media

Drag photos, videos, or app files onto the screen to instantly add them to the simulator for testing.

🎉 Test anywhere

Share the web link over your network or tunnel it remotely, so you can develop and test faster from any device.

Sign up to see the full architecture

4 more

Sign Up Free

Star Growth

See how this repo grew from 372 to 371 stars Sign Up Free
Repurpose This Repo

Repurpose is a Pro feature

Generate ready-to-use prompts for X threads, LinkedIn posts, blog posts, YouTube scripts, and more -- with full repo context baked in.

Unlock Repurpose
AI-Generated Review

What is serve-sim?

serve-sim brings npx serve simplicity to Apple Simulators: run npx serve-sim and preview any booted iOS device in your browser at localhost:3200 (or custom npx serve port), with 60fps MJPEG streams, WebSocket touch gestures, keyboard forwarding, and simulator logs. The TypeScript CLI spawns a lightweight Swift process using simctl for framebuffer capture, serving a React UI that supports drag-drop media, home swipes, and multi-device. Embed it as Connect middleware in Expo or Vite for npx serve-like hot reload paths, with wide-open CORS and optional HTTPS.

Why is it gaining traction?

Unlike clunky VNC tools or screenshot hacks, it delivers fluid browser control—pinch-zoom with Option key, CMD+Shift+H for home, forwarded logs for npx github copilot parsing—making local testing feel native. Daemon mode (--detach) and npx github actions support enable remote hosting via tunnels, while Expo middleware auto-starts at /.sim for zero-config dev servers.

Who should use this?

React Native/Expo devs iterating on sim without devices; AI tool builders (Cursor, Claude Desktop) feeding live iOS streams to agents; remote teams sharing sim previews over LAN via npx serve public URLs.

Verdict

Strong pick for sim-heavy workflows—CLI and middleware nail usability despite 371 stars and 1.0% credibility score. Early but battle-tested by Expo; test multi-sim stability before prod.

(198 words)

Sign up to read the full AI review Sign Up Free

Similar repos coming soon.