When working on a web project, you often want to share your local development server with clients, teammates, or external APIs. Instead of deploying your app to a live server, you can use a tunneling service — a tool that exposes your localhost to the internet through a secure, temporary public URL.
In other words, tunneling service allows you to create a secure link between your local server and the internet, giving you a temporary public URL that anyone can access. However, here are some things to consider before you take a bold step into sharing your local project on the internet.
Advantages
- Instant Sharing: You can share your in-progress app without deploying to a live hosting server.
- Webhook Testing: Perfect for integrating external APIs that require a callback URL.
- Cross-Device Testing: Lets you test how your site behaves on mobile, tablet, or other networks.
- Client Demos: Quickly showcase new features to stakeholders or testers without publishing code.
Disadvantages
- Temporary Links: Most free tunnels expire after a session or system restart.
- Performance Limits: Free plans often throttle speed or connections.
- Dependency on Third-Party Servers: Your app’s accessibility depends on the uptime of the tunneling provider.
Risks Involved
- Security Exposure: Opening your localhost publicly means anyone with the link can access your app.
- Data Leaks: If your local environment has sensitive files or debug data, it could be unintentionally exposed.
- Malicious Requests: Attackers can target your local environment if you share links without access restrictions.
Security Precautions
- Use Authentication: Protect your tunnel with basic auth or token-based access where possible.
- Never Expose Admin Routes: Avoid exposing
/admin,/login, or similar endpoints. - Restrict Access: Use firewalls or IP whitelisting features if available.
- Limit Session Duration: Close tunnels when not in use.
- Use HTTPS Tunnels: Always prefer encrypted tunnels (https) to avoid data interception.
With that in mind, let’s look through some of the well known tunneling services to expose your localhost project online:
1. Ngrok
Website: https://ngrok.com
Ngrok is one of the most popular and reliable tunneling tools. It creates secure tunnels to your local machine with a simple command. After installation, you can run:
ngrok http 8000This command generates a public HTTPS URL that forwards traffic to your localhost port 8000.
Free features:
- HTTPS support
- Basic authentication
- Dashboard with live traffic inspection
Limitations: The free plan rotates URLs after every restart.
2. Localtunnel
Website: https://theboroer.github.io/localtunnel-www/
Localtunnel is a fully open-source and free option. No sign-up or account required — just install it via npm and you’re good to go.
npm install -g localtunnel
lt --port 3000You’ll get a URL like https://randomsubdomain.loca.lt that anyone can access.
Pros: Free forever, simple to use, great for quick demos.
Cons: Random subdomains and less reliability under heavy traffic.
Note: Localtunnel now requires a password on its public server’s consent page to combat phishing and abuse. The change was implemented because malicious actors were using the service to host numerous phishing portals.
For more information, see https://github.com/localtunnel/localtunnel/issues/598
However, the password required is your own public IPv4 or IPv6 address, which is the IP address from which your computer is connecting to the internet. If you do not know your connection address, you can visit any of the following URL:
If you’re on Linux or MacOS and prefer to do it the terminal way, here are some useful commands:
curl -4 ifconfig.mecurl -4 icanhazip.comcurl -s https://api.ipify.orgFor windows, you can do similar by exchanging the URL:
(Invoke-WebRequest -uri "https://api.ipify.org").Content3. Cloudflare Tunnel (Cloudflare Zero Trust)
Website: https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/connections/connect-apps/
Cloudflare Tunnel (formerly Argo Tunnel) is a powerful and secure way to expose your local server. It’s backed by Cloudflare’s massive global network.
Install the Cloudflare CLI tool:
brew install cloudflare/cloudflare/cloudflared
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8000Pros:
- Free with unlimited bandwidth
- Always-on tunnels
- Custom domain support
Cons: Requires Cloudflare account setup.
4. LocalXpose
Website: https://localxpose.io
LocalXpose is a developer-focused tunneling service similar to Ngrok but with more flexibility. It supports multiple protocols — HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and UDP.
loclx tunnel http --port 5000Free features:
- Encrypted tunnels
- Custom subdomains (on free tier with limitations)
- Great analytics and dashboard
Limitations: Requires free account and has limited session duration.
5. Serveo
Website: https://serveo.net
This is another 100% free, fascinating and easy to use tunneling service. Serveo is SSH-based, so you don’t need to install anything extra if you already have SSH available.
ssh -R 80:localhost:3000 serveo.netThat’s it — your local server on port 3000 is now accessible online.
Pros: No download needed, fully free.
Cons: Can be slow under high load, URLs rotate per session.
6. Telebit
Website: https://telebit.cloud
Telebit is a simple and developer-friendly tunneling tool that supports HTTPS and SSH tunneling. You can also use your own domain name.
npx telebit serve 3000Pros: Works with Node.js, easy setup.
Cons: Less known and slower updates compared to Ngrok or Cloudflare Tunnel.
7. Expose
Website: https://expose.dev
Expose is an open-source self-hostable tunnel service built with PHP. Perfect if you want full control over your tunnels or don’t trust third-party servers. You can install it via Composer, Phar, Laravel Herd or Docker.
composer global require exposedev/exposeAfter activating your token and selecting the closest default server, you can then expose your localhost site:
expose share http://localhost:8000Pros: Free, open-source, self-hostable.
Cons: Requires PHP and Composer setup.
Here’s a clear and detailed section you can include in your blog post specifically about Localhost.run, focused on what it is, how it works, and its pros, cons, and safety notes:
Localhost.run
Website: https://localhost.run
This is one of the simplest and most lightweight tunneling services available. It allows you to share your local web server over the internet instantly using nothing but an SSH command — no installation, no registration, and no special client software needed.
You can create a tunnel by running this command in your terminal:
ssh -R 80:localhost:3000 localhost.runThis creates a reverse SSH tunnel from your local port 3000 to the public web through localhost.run. The service will automatically provide you with a public URL such as:
https://randomstring.localhost.runAnyone with that link can access your locally running web app.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it folks. If you regularly work with webhooks or need to demo your projects online, using a tunneling service is a game-changer. For most developers, Ngrok or Cloudflare Tunnel are the best all-around options — offering reliability, HTTPS, and strong security.
Want to share your localhost with the world? Try any of these tools today and make your local projects instantly accessible online.
