launch

Main entry point for starting Drafter servers.

Provides the start_server() function which routes to either in-browser ClientServer or local development AppServer based on execution context.

MaybeBoolStr = bool | str | None module-attribute

Type alias for parameters that accept a bool, a string, or None.

start_server(initial_state=None, server=None, server_name=None, in_debug_mode=None, framed=None, theme=None, site_title=None, favicon=None, information=None, verbose=None, asset_directory=None, show_filename_as=None, engine=None, port=None, host=None, prerender_initial_page=None, open_browser=None, browser=None, inline_py=None, use_reloader=None, pyodide_url=None, pyodide_version=None, pyodide_branch=None, reloader=None, cdn_skulpt=None, cdn_skulpt_std=None, cdn_skulpt_drafter=None, skip=None, argv=None, **extra_configuration)

Start the Drafter server (web or local development mode).

Routes to either ClientServer (web mode) or AppServer (local dev mode) based on execution context. In web mode, initializes browser-side bridge; in local mode, starts Starlette dev server with file watching.

This function is the primary entry point for users and accepts parameters for both ClientServer and AppServer modes (the appropriate ones are used depending on context).

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
initial_state		Optional initial application state.	None
server		Optional pre-created server instance (defaults to main server).	None
server_name	str | None	Server identifier name.	None
in_debug_mode	bool | None	Enable debug panel and logging.	None
framed	bool | None	Whether to frame the content.	None
theme	str | None	Theme name (e.g., "default").	None
site_title	str | None	Title displayed in UI.	None
favicon	str | None	Browser tab icon: a URL or the path to an adjacent image file (svg, png, ico, ...).	None
information	dict | None	Dict of site information (author, description, etc.).	None
verbose	bool | None	Enable verbose logging.	None
asset_directory	MaybeBoolStr	Assets directory (uses Drafter defaults if False).	None
show_filename_as	MaybeBoolStr	Display filename in UI (if different from actual).	None
engine	EngineType | None	Python engine ("skulpt" or "pyodide").	None
port	int | None	Server port for dev mode.	None
host	str | None	Server host for dev mode.	None
prerender_initial_page	bool | None	Prerender initial page on startup.	None
open_browser	bool | None	Auto-open browser in dev mode.	None
browser	str | None	Which browser to open in dev mode: "chrome", "firefox", "safari", "edge", or "default" for the system default. When not given, Chrome is used if installed, then Firefox, then the system default.	None
inline_py	bool | None	Inline code in HTML vs. load via HTTP.	None
use_reloader	bool | None	Enable file watcher and auto-reload.	None
pyodide_url	str | None	Base URL to load Pyodide from (default: jsDelivr CDN).	None
pyodide_version	str | None	Pyodide version segment, e.g. "v314.0.5" or "dev".	None
pyodide_branch	str | None	Pyodide distribution branch, "full" or "debug".	None
reloader	bool | None	Deprecated alias for use_reloader, kept for compatibility with older versions; used only when use_reloader is not given.	None
cdn_skulpt	str | None	Deprecated and ignored; passing a value prints a warning.	None
cdn_skulpt_std	str | None	Deprecated and ignored; passing a value prints a warning.	None
cdn_skulpt_drafter	str | None	Deprecated and ignored; passing a value prints a warning.	None
skip	bool | None	If True, do nothing at all — do not start the server or compile anything. Useful for running unit tests against a site file. Also settable via the DRAFTER_SKIP environment variable, the --skip flag, or a config file.	None
argv	list[str] | None	Command-line argument override passed into the system configuration.	None
**extra_configuration		Additional configuration parameters.	{}

Raises:

Type	Description
SystemExit	In local development mode, when the server cannot start for a reason that has a student-facing explanation (the main file is missing, the port is in use). The explanation is printed instead of a traceback; with the verbose setting on, the original StudentFacingError propagates instead.