# Integrate with External Programs via Local HTTP Server

Source: https://developers.inkdrop.app/guides/integrate-with-external-programs

If you want to access your notes from external programs, you can use the local HTTP server.
The Inkdrop client app can run a simple HTTP server locally.
It is useful for automating tasks such as generating static sites by exporting notes with a tool like [live-export](https://github.com/inkdropapp/live-export).
It also allows you to integrate with external programs such as [Web clipper](https://docs.inkdrop.app/reference/clip-web-pages-from-browser), launcher apps like [Raycast](https://docs.inkdrop.app/reference/integrate-with-raycast) and [Alfred](https://docs.inkdrop.app/reference/integrate-with-alfred), [the official MCP server](https://github.com/inkdropapp/mcp-server), [static site generators like Astro](https://github.com/inkdropapp/inkdrop-blog-template), etc.

## How it works

![Local REST API endpoint](https://developers.inkdrop.app/images/accessing-the-local-database_local-rest-api-endpoint.png)

By default, the Inkdrop client app declines requests from external networks for security reasons.
It only accepts requests from the loopback network (`localhost` or `127.0.0.1`).
Also, you will set up the authentication credentials to protect unwanted access.

## API reference

See [the local HTTP server reference](https://developers.inkdrop.app/data-access/local-http-server) for more details.

## How to configure the local HTTP server

![Preferences](https://developers.inkdrop.app/images/integrate-with-external-programs_preferences.png)

Open the Preferences window and click the **Local Server** section in the sidebar.

- **Enabled** - Check this box to enable the local HTTP server. Default is unchecked.
- **Port number** - Defines the port number to listen. Default is `19840`.
- **Bind Address** - Defines the IP address to listen. Default is `127.0.0.1`.
- **Username** - Defines username of the Basic auth credentials.
- **Password** - Defines password of the Basic auth credentials.

Click the **Apply** button to apply the changes.
The auth info will be encrypted and stored safely in `config.json` in [the user data directory](https://docs.inkdrop.app/manual/basic-usage#user-data-directory).

![Server logs](https://developers.inkdrop.app/images/integrate-with-external-programs_server-logs.png)

By pressing the **View Server Logs** button, you can check the server access logs updated in real-time.
The path to the log file is `USER_DATA_DIRECTORY/server.log`.

### Troubleshooting

Check if the local server is running correctly with `curl`:

```sh
curl -v -u foo:bar http://localhost:19840/
# -> {"version":"5.10.0","ok":true}
```

Run the app with `--enable-logging` flag to see the server logs. See [the documentation](https://docs.inkdrop.app/manual/troubleshooting#enable-logging) for more detail.

```sh
/Applications/Inkdrop.app/Contents/MacOS/Inkdrop --enable-logging
```

If the server is running correctly, you should see logs like this:

```
  app:info Starting server on 127.0.0.1:19840
```