Hey everyone! I’m having a really frustrating problem that’s been going on for days now. Whenever I start my development server using any package manager (npm, pnpm, or yarn), the localhost page just spins and never actually loads. I’ve tried clearing my browser cache, using different ports, and even completely removing and reinstalling Node.js from scratch. Has anyone else run into this issue before? What could be causing the local server to hang like this?
I experienced a similar issue not long ago, and it turned out to be my firewall interfering with the connection. Windows Defender was blocking localhost traffic invisibly while everything seemed fine in the terminal.
Disabling the firewall temporarily helped me troubleshoot, and afterwards, I added specific rules for Node.js and my development ports. It’s also worth checking if any VPN software is active, as I’ve encountered ExpressVPN causing localhost problems in the past.
Additionally, you could run netstat -an in your command prompt to verify if the port is binding correctly. Sometimes, the server might think it’s running but is not actually listening. If your port shows up in that command’s results, the issue is likely network-related rather than a problem with your code or package manager.
u might wanna look at ur antivirus settings, like kaspersky or mcafee can mess with local servers without notice.
also, try starting ur server as an admin. sometimes it’s just a permission issue even when the terminal says everythings fine.