diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d4541a1..72d03f4 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 content/.ikiwiki
 public/
+http-server/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 49dbe46..cf59db1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -28,13 +28,7 @@ To work locally with this project, you'll have to follow the steps below:
     * [source][]
 1. Clone the submodules: `git submodule init && git submodule update`
 1. Generate the website: `ikiwiki --setup ikiwiki.setup`
-1. Preview your project: open `public/index.html` in a browser
-
-Note that the link to certain objects (like images, css) will be broken
-when testing locally. To test a specific page, please add
-`<base href="/full/path/to/public" />` at the top of the html file
-that you want to preview. You may have to adjust absolute links
-to point to relative links (i.e, make `/` into `./`).
+1. Start http-server: ./test-server.sh
 
 Read more at ikiwiki's [documentation][].
 
diff --git a/test-server.sh b/test-server.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4364aad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-server.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+for i in node npm git; do
+	if ! command -v $i &> /dev/null; then
+    	echo ">> $i could not be found, please install"
+		exit
+	fi
+done
+
+# http-server not pulled, pulling
+if [ ! -d "./http-server" ]; then
+	echo ">> This script will pull a lightweight nodejs http-server from https://github.com/http-party/http-server and make ./public avaiable as local http service, are you okay with this?"
+	read -p "Continue (y/n)?" choice
+	case "$choice" in 
+  		y|Y ) echo "yes";;
+  		n|N ) echo "no";;
+  		* ) echo "invalid";;
+	esac
+	git clone https://github.com/http-party/http-server
+fi
+
+# http-server depends not pulled, pulling
+if [ ! -d "http-server/node_modules/" ]; then
+	echo ">> http-server dependencies not pulled, pulling"
+	npm --prefix ./http-server i
+fi
+
+# website not built, building
+if [ ! -d "./public" ]; then
+	echo ">> website not build, building"
+	ikiwiki --setup ./ikiwiki.setup
+fi
+
+# starting server
+echo ">> starting http server"
+node ./http-server/bin/http-server -c-1 ./public