Reloading Connect/Express server code using grunt-contrib-watch and reload option

.gitignore

*~
node_modules

api.js

var express = require('express');
var bunyan = require('bunyan');
var uuid = require('uuid');
var util = require("util");
var app = express();

function reqSerializer(req) {
  return {
    method: req.method,
    url: req.url,
    headers: req.headers
  }
}

var log = bunyan.createLogger({
  name: 'grunt-express-example',
  streams: [
    {
      level: 'error',
      stream: process.stdout            // log ERRORand above to stdout
    },
    {
      level: 'info',
      path:  __dirname + '/access.log' // log INFO and above to a file
    }
  ],
  src: true,
  serializers: bunyan.stdSerializers // {req: reqSerializer }
});

log.info("hi");
app.use(function(req, res, next) {
  req.log = log.child({reqId: uuid()} );
  next();
});

app.get('/', function(req, res, next) {
  log.info({req: req}, "GET");
  next();
});

app.get('/pub/test', function(req, res, next) {
  log.info({req: req}, "GET fffbivvv43");
  next();
});

app.get('/pub', function(req, res, next) {
  log.info({req: req}, "GET bivvv48");
  next();
});



app.use(express.static(__dirname + '/'));

module.exports = app;

Gruntfile.js

'use strict';
var fs = require('fs');
var path = require('path');

module.exports = function(grunt){
  var rq = require('load-grunt-tasks')(grunt);
//   console.log(rq);

  grunt.initConfig({
    pkg: grunt.file.readJSON( 'package.json' ),

    express: {
      server : {
        options : {
          port : 9001,
          hostname : '*',
          bases : ['./api.js'],
          livereload : true,
          showStack: true,
          server : path.resolve('./api.js'),
        },
      }
    },
    watch : {
      configFiles: {
        files: [ 'Gruntfile.js', 'config/*.js' ],
        tasks: [], // adding connect:server here does run the task with the latest code
                // (checked with changing onCreateServer console log message)
                // does not let connect properly listen to HTTP requests
        options: {
          livereload : true,
          reload: true, // DOES not work //
        }
      },
      appFiles: {
        files: ['**/*.js', '**/*.json'],
        options : {
            livereload : true,
            reload: true, // DOES not work
        }
      }
    },
    connect: {
        server: {
            options: {
                port : 9001,
                hostname : '*',
                bases : ['./api.js'],
                livereload : true,
                showStack: true,
                middleware: [
                    function myMiddleware(req, res, next) {
                        res.end('Hello, world!');
                    }
                ],
                onCreateServer: function(server, connect, options) {

                  var fsssss = 4;
                  console.log('onCreateServer:g ' + new Date());
                }
            },
        }
    },
  });;

  grunt.registerTask('server', ['connect:server', 'watch']); // 'watch', 'express-keepalive'
};

index.html

Exampless

package.json

{
  "name": "grunt-express-example",
  "version": "0.0.0",
  "description": "Grunt Express Example",
  "main": "Gruntfile.js",
  "scripts": {
    "test": "grunt test"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "grunt-contrib-watch": "~0.6.1",
    "grunt-express": "~1.4.1",
    "load-grunt-tasks": "~3.0.0",
    "grunt-contrib-connect": "~0.9.0"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "~4.1.1",
    "morgan": "~1.4.1",
    "bunyan": "~1.2.3",
    "uuid": "~2.0.1"
  },
  "keywords": [
    "grunt",
    "express"
  ],
  "author": "Bogdan Bivolaru <https://github.com/bogdanbiv>",
  "license": "BSD-2-Clause"
}