⚡ Smart Live Sync
Smart Live Sync is a focus-aware live server for static web development that fixes common problems with traditional live preview tools.
Unlike standard live servers, Smart Live Sync:
- Hot-reloads CSS instantly
- Syncs missed changes when you switch tabs
- Reloads HTML & JavaScript safely only when needed
- Works without constant manual refreshes
✨ Why Smart Live Sync?
Traditional live servers fail in these situations:
- CSS changes don’t apply when the browser tab is inactive
- Switching between editor ↔ browser shows outdated UI
- You’re forced to manually refresh again and again
Smart Live Sync solves this by syncing updates on user focus.
🚀 Features
- ⚡ Instant CSS hot reload (no page refresh)
- 👀 Focus-based sync — changes apply when you return to the browser tab
- 🧠 Safe HTML & JS reloads (no broken state)
- 🔌 Built-in local server (no extra setup)
- 🟢 Go Live button in VS Code status bar
- 🧩 Framework-aware presets (static-focused)
🧠 How It Works (Concept)
Smart Live Sync classifies changes by runtime impact:
| Change Type |
Behavior |
| CSS (Style) |
Hot swapped instantly |
| HTML (Structure) |
Reloaded on focus |
| JS (Behavior) |
Reloaded on focus |
This avoids unsafe hot-swapping and guarantees correctness.
📦 Installation
- Open VS Code
- Go to Extensions
- Search for Smart Live Sync
- Install
▶️ How to Use (30 seconds)
- Open a folder containing:
index.htmlstyles.cssindex.js
- Click ⚡ Smart Live in the bottom-right status bar
- Browser opens at
http://localhost:3000
- Start editing files:
- CSS updates instantly
- HTML & JS reload when you return to the browser tab
No manual refresh needed.
⚠️ When NOT to Use This Extension
Smart Live Sync is not a replacement for framework dev servers.
Do NOT use it with:
- React (Vite / CRA)
- Next.js
- Vue CLI / Nuxt
- Angular CLI
- Any bundled / compiled framework
These frameworks already include their own dev servers and HMR.
👉 Smart Live Sync is designed for static development:
- HTML / CSS / JS
- Learning & prototyping
- UI layout testing
- Interview prep
- DOM & browser fundamentals
🧩 Framework Presets (Static Scope)
You can configure how files are treated via presets:
vanillareact (static preview only)vue (static preview only)angular (static preview only)svelte (static preview only)
Presets map file extensions to safe reload behavior.
They do not replace framework dev servers.
⚙️ Configuration
{
"smartLiveSync.preset": "vanilla"
}
