webpack-dev-server can't find localhost

Question

I'm trying to get started with React using webpack, but keep running into an error when I try to set up webpack-dev-server. I ran

npm install webpack-dev-server

followed by

webpack-dev-server

and the command line returns the following:

events.js:154
      throw er; // Unhandled 'error' event
      ^

Error: getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND localhost
    at errnoException (dns.js:26:10)
    at GetAddrInfoReqWrap.onlookup [as oncomplete] (dns.js:77:26)

Any clues on what is happening here?

I don't really know how webpack works to try and search for the root of the problem, but I've also been developing a website using PHP at port 80 with MAMP, I don't know if this is maybe part of the issue?

Answer 1

Also encountered the same error and nothing fixed it.

It appears, in my case, that I accidentally "corrupted" the /etc/hosts file by been able to write to it without the sudo permission.

The clue was when I cat /etc/hosts the output was one messy line. I deleted and re-created the file as sudo, with the @lizzie-cd link and all went back to normal

Answer 2

Also check if /etc/hosts have 127.0.0.1 pointing to localhost as well.

Answer 3

Did not work for me even after restoring the hosts file and trying with a different port. The way I made it to work was to give a custom host (127.0.0.1) and port (3001 or any other available) when starting the server:

webpack-dev-server --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3001

Answer 4

The most common reason for that error is that you have something else already using that port. Try starting it on another port.

webpack-dev-server --port 3001

Answer 5

Solved, turned out my hosts file (found under /etc/hosts on a mac) had one line missing and so webpack couldn't find localhost. I restored it to its default following these instructions and it now works!

Answer 6

Make sure your /etc/hosts file includes localhost.

Open /etc/hosts

$ sudo vi /etc/hosts

Copy and paste this, if it's missing:

127.0.0.1   localhost
255.255.255.255 broadcasthost
::1 localhost
fe80::1%lo0 localhost