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How to Create a Windows Batch Script to Start/Run a Server

This guide shows how to automate your development workflow by creating Windows batch scripts.

CodingBowl··2 min read
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The Problem: Repetitive Morning Routine

Every morning when I start work, I need to run the same set of commands to launch my local development servers and open all the necessary tools. Manually doing this routine became tedious, so I decided to automate it using Windows batch scripts.

My Development Environment Needs

I work with three different projects, each requiring different setup commands:

  • React - Needs Node.js server

  • Django - Needs Python virtual environment and server

  • Laravel - Needs Docker containers

For each project, I need to:

  1. Run the local development server

  2. Open a web browser to the development site or admin panel

  3. Launch Visual Studio Code in the project directory

The Solution: Batch Script Automation

I created separate .bat files for each project saved on my desktop. Each script:

  • Disables command echoing for cleaner output

  • Starts the development server in a new command window

  • Opens the relevant browser tabs

  • Launches VS Code in the project directory

React Project Batch Script

`@echo off
start cmd.exe /k "cd Projects/react-project && npm run start"
start chrome http://localhost:8080/
code -n Projects\react-project`

Django Project Batch Script

`@echo off
start cmd.exe /k "cd Projects && django_virtual_env\Scripts\activate && cd django-project && py manage.py runserver 8000"
start chrome http://127.0.0.1:8000/
start firefox http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/
code -n Projects\django-project`

Laravel Project Batch Script

`@echo off
start cmd.exe /k "cd Projects && open -a Docker cd laravel-project && docker compose up -d"
start chrome http://localhost:80/
start firefox http://localhost:8080/phpmyadmin
code -n Projects\laravel-project`

The Result: One-Click Project Setup

Now instead of manually running all these commands every morning, I simply double-click the appropriate batch file on my desktop. Each script handles the complete setup for its respective project, saving me time and ensuring consistency in my development environment.