Local development
If you're using the HTML or JavaScript API, it's not possible to add the Canva Button to an HTML file on your local machine and open that file in a web browser. If you do this, you'll encounter a Forbidden (403) error.
This is because Canva expects requests to come from:
canva.com
localhost
a domain on Canva's allowlist
This guide explains how to develop locally by serving an HTML file via localhost.
You can add a domain to Canva's allowlist via the Developer Portal.
http-server is "a simple, zero-configuration command-line HTTP server." You can use it to make a file (or a directory of files) available via localhost.
You can install http-server via npm or Homebrew.
npm install http-server --global
brew install http-server
You don't have to use http-server to start a local server. There are many other tools that serve a similar purpose.
Use the cd command to navigate into the directory that contains the HTML file:
cd [dir_path]
To start the local server, run the http-server command:
http-server
By default, the local server becomes available at http://localhost:8080.
For a complete list of the arguments and flags that http-server supports, refer to the official documentation.