Edlics

Edit files on your Linux server from a browser
No terminal editors needed. Just open a web page and start editing.

The Problem

You have a Linux server (like an AWS EC2). You need to edit config files, write code, or fix something. Normally you have to:

• SSH into the server
• Use vim or nano in the terminal
• Remember keyboard shortcuts
• Can't use your mouse
• Can't see a file explorer

It works, but it's slow and annoying — especially if you're more comfortable with a proper code editor like VS Code.

The Solution

Edlics turns your server into a web-based code editor. Run one command, open a URL in your browser, and you get:

• A file explorer on the left — click folders to browse
• A code editor with colors and line numbers
• Right-click to rename, delete, copy paths
• Search to find files quickly
• Keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+S to save

No SSH skills required beyond the initial setup. Works on any Linux server.

Quick start

npx edlics serve --hostname 0.0.0.0 --port 5000

Locally : Open http://localhost:5000 in your browser. VPN : Open http://privateIP:5000 in your browser. public : Open http://publicIP:5000 in your browser.

See SETUP.md for all install methods and troubleshooting.

Features

File browser	Flat file tree with directory navigation, hidden file dimming, search
Code editor	CodeMirror 6 with syntax highlighting for JS, TS, Python, HTML, CSS, JSON, Markdown, XML, YAML
File operations	Create, rename, delete files and folders — right-click context menu
Dark / Light theme	Click the moon/sun icon to switch. Preference is saved automatically
Server info	Shows which user is logged in, the server hostname, and private IP
Clickable path bar	Click any directory in the breadcrumb to jump to it
Sudo support	Edit protected files. Password prompt for users who need it, auto-escalation for NOPASSWD users
No database	Works directly on the filesystem — what you see is what's on disk
Async by design	Non-blocking file I/O, handles large files without hiccups

Usage

edlics serve [options]

Options:
  --hostname   Host to bind to (default: 127.0.0.1)
  --port       Port to listen on (default: 3000)

Examples:
  edlics serve
  edlics serve --hostname 0.0.0.0 --port 5000

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+S	Save file
Ctrl+P	Search files
Ctrl+W	Close tab
F2	Rename file
Escape	Close dialogs / menus

Screenshots

How it works

Edlics is a single Node.js file that starts a web server on your Linux machine.

1. You run edlics serve — it starts a web server on the port you choose
2. You open http://your-server-ip:5000 in your browser
3. The left panel shows your files and folders (like a file explorer)
4. Click a file — it opens in the editor panel with syntax coloring
5. Edit, save, create, rename, delete — all from the browser
6. The server reads and writes files directly on the filesystem

That's it. No database, no configuration, no complicated setup.

Project structure

edlics/
├── bin/
│   └── edlics.js          # The server (Node.js)
├── brand/
│   └── logo.svg           # Project logo
├── bundle/
│   └── editor.mjs         # CodeMirror 6 build entry
├── public/
│   ├── editor.mjs         # Pre-built editor bundle
│   └── index.html         # The web page you see in browser
├── .gitignore
├── README.md
├── SETUP.md               # Detailed install guide
├── install.sh             # Symlinks edlics to /usr/local/bin
└── package.json           # Dependencies + build scripts

Tech stack

• Frontend: Plain JavaScript, CodeMirror 6, CSS custom properties
• Backend: Node.js (bare http module — no frameworks)
• Editor: CodeMirror 6 with syntax highlighting, bracket matching, undo history
• Theme: Dark theme by default, light theme toggle available

License

MIT — use it, share it, build on it.