How to change angular port from 4200 to any other

2 min read 07-10-2024

How to Change Angular Port from 4200 to Any Other Port

The default port for Angular development servers is 4200. While this is a perfectly fine port for most situations, you might need to change it for various reasons:

Port conflict: Another application might already be using port 4200.
Testing: You want to test your application on a different port for compatibility reasons.
Deployment: Your server environment might require a different port for deployment.

This article will guide you through the process of changing the default port in your Angular project.

The Scenario: A Port Conflict

Let's say you're working on a new Angular project, and you want to run it alongside another application on your machine. However, both applications attempt to use port 4200, causing a conflict. This is where you need to change the port for your Angular project.

Original Code: The Default Angular.json File

Here's how the default angular.json file looks for a new Angular project:

{
  "projects": {
    "my-project": {
      "projectType": "application",
      "architect": {
        "build": {
          "builder": "@angular-devkit/build-angular:browser",
          "options": {
            "outputPath": "dist/my-project",
            "index": "src/index.html",
            "main": "src/main.ts",
            "polyfills": "src/polyfills.ts",
            "tsConfig": "tsconfig.app.json",
            "aot": false,
            "assets": [
              "src/favicon.ico",
              "src/assets"
            ],
            "styles": [
              "src/styles.css"
            ],
            "scripts": []
          },
          "configurations": {
            "production": {
              "fileReplacements": [
                {
                  "replace": "src/environments/environment.ts",
                  "with": "src/environments/environment.prod.ts"
                }
              ],
              "optimization": true,
              "outputHashing": "all",
              "sourceMap": false,
              "extractCss": true,
              "namedChunks": false,
              "extractLicenses": true,
              "vendorChunk": false,
              "buildOptimizer": true,
              "budgets": [
                {
                  "type": "initial",
                  "maximumWarning": "2mb",
                  "maximumError": "5mb"
                },
                {
                  "type": "anyComponentStyle",
                  "maximumWarning": "6kb",
                  "maximumError": "10kb"
                }
              ]
            }
          }
        },
        "serve": {
          "builder": "@angular-devkit/build-angular:dev-server",
          "options": {
            "browserTarget": "my-project:build"
          },
          "configurations": {
            "production": {
              "browserTarget": "my-project:build:production"
            }
          }
        },
        // ... other architect configurations
      }
    }
  },
  // ... other project configurations
}

The key section is the serve configuration within the architect section of your project. This configuration specifies the port for the development server.

Changing the Port in `angular.json`

To change the port, you need to modify the options section of the serve configuration:

"serve": {
  "builder": "@angular-devkit/build-angular:dev-server",
  "options": {
    "browserTarget": "my-project:build",
    "port": 4201
  },
  // ...
}

In this example, we changed the default port to 4201. You can choose any available port number.

Additional Tips

Check for Existing Processes: Before using a new port, make sure no other processes are already running on that port. You can use tools like netstat (Windows) or lsof (macOS/Linux) to check for open ports.
Environment Variables: You can also use environment variables to define the port dynamically. In your angular.json file, you can define the port as a variable:
```
"serve": {
  "builder": "@angular-devkit/build-angular:dev-server",
  "options": {
    "browserTarget": "my-project:build",
    "port": "${PORT}"
  },
  // ...
}
```
Then, when you run the ng serve command, you can specify the port using the --port flag:
```
ng serve --port 4201
```
Deployment Considerations: When deploying your Angular application, you'll likely need to configure the port in your server environment as well.

Conclusion

Changing the port for your Angular development server is a simple process involving a small adjustment to your angular.json file. By understanding the basic process and exploring additional tips, you can customize your development environment to best suit your needs.

Remember to always double-check for existing processes and adjust your deployment configuration accordingly.

How to change angular port from 4200 to any other