The Most Useful Tools for Developers to Share Localhost Online

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Sharing a local development environment online can be crucial for collaboration, testing, or demonstration purposes. While developing on localhost, you sometimes need to share your work with colleagues, clients, or testers without deploying it to a live server. Fortunately, various tools allow developers to expose their local servers to the internet. This article will explore some of the most popular and efficient tools to achieve this, complete with coding examples to get you started.

Why Share Localhost?

Before we dive into specific tools, it’s important to understand why you might want to share your localhost online:

  1. Collaboration: Teams can work together more efficiently when they can instantly see each other’s local changes without needing to push them to a live server.
  2. Client Demos: It allows you to showcase progress to clients in real-time without needing to go through a deployment process.
  3. Remote Testing: QA testers can access the local development environment remotely to identify bugs or improvements.
  4. Debugging and Feedback: Other developers or stakeholders can directly interact with your local environment, making it easier to provide feedback or fix issues.

Ngrok

Ngrok is one of the most popular tools for exposing localhost to the web. It is highly configurable, secure, and easy to use.

Features of Ngrok

  • Automatic HTTPS: Ngrok provides a secure HTTPS tunnel.
  • Request Inspection: It allows you to inspect all HTTP traffic.
  • Authentication and Access Control: You can add basic authentication to your exposed URL.
  • Custom Subdomains and Domains: Paid plans offer the ability to use custom domains or subdomains.

How to Use Ngrok

To get started with Ngrok, follow these steps:

  1. Install Ngrok by downloading it from the official site.
  2. Extract the downloaded file and run it.
  3. Run the following command to start sharing your local web server:
bash
./ngrok http 8000

In this example, 8000 is the port number where your local web server is running. Ngrok will generate a public URL that can be shared with others.

Example:

bash
ngrok http 3000

Output:

bash
Session Status online
Version 2.3.35
Web Interface http://127.0.0.1:4040
Forwarding http://9b99abcd.ngrok.io -> http://localhost:3000
Forwarding https://9b99abcd.ngrok.io -> http://localhost:3000

The public URL (https://9b99abcd.ngrok.io) can be used to access the local server running on localhost:3000.

Localtunnel

Localtunnel is another simple yet powerful tool to share your localhost online. It’s open-source and requires no signup.

Features of Localtunnel

  • Ease of Use: No setup or configuration needed; you only install the package and run a single command.
  • Open-Source: Available under the MIT license, making it a great option for developers who prefer using free and open tools.
  • Custom Subdomain: You can choose a custom subdomain for your shared tunnel.

How to Use Localtunnel

First, you’ll need Node.js installed on your machine. Then install Localtunnel globally using npm:

bash
npm install -g localtunnel

Once installed, you can expose your local server by running:

bash
lt --port 3000

Example:

bash
lt --port 8000

This will output a public URL like:

bash
your url is: https://cool-subdomain.loca.lt

You can now share the generated URL with anyone to access your local server on port 8000.

Serveo

Serveo is a secure tunneling tool that works via SSH. Unlike Ngrok or Localtunnel, you don’t need to install anything on your system.

Features of Serveo

  • No Installation Required: Simply use SSH to create a tunnel.
  • Custom Subdomains: You can request a custom subdomain while establishing the tunnel.
  • SSH Security: It utilizes the secure SSH protocol, which is highly reliable and secure.

How to Use Serveo

To start using Serveo, all you need is SSH access. Run the following command to create a tunnel:

bash
ssh -R 80:localhost:3000 serveo.net

This command will bind port 3000 on your localhost to the public port 80 on Serveo’s server, allowing anyone to access your local server using the provided public URL.

Example:

bash
ssh -R 80:localhost:8000 serveo.net

Serveo will generate a public URL, for example:

bash
Forwarding HTTP traffic from https://randomsubdomain.serveo.net

Your local server on localhost:8000 will now be accessible from the URL https://randomsubdomain.serveo.net.

Pagekite

Pagekite is another option to share your local server, and it’s particularly useful for Python developers. It’s designed to work behind NATs, firewalls, and proxies.

Features of Pagekite

  • Firewall Friendly: Works even if you’re behind NAT or firewalls.
  • Multiple Protocol Support: Not limited to HTTP; you can also expose SMTP, SSH, and other protocols.
  • Custom Domain: You can bind your custom domain to the exposed server.

How to Use Pagekite

First, download and install Pagekite from its official website. After installation, you can expose your local server using the following command:

bash
pagekite.py 8000 yourname.pagekite.me

In this example, 8000 is the port number where your local server is running, and yourname.pagekite.me is the public URL generated by Pagekite.

Example:

bash
pagekite.py 5000 yourcustomdomain.pagekite.me

Your server will now be available at https://yourcustomdomain.pagekite.me.

Expose

Expose is an open-source alternative to Ngrok, designed specifically for PHP developers but works with any web server.

Features of Expose

  • PHP-Based: Although written in PHP, it works with other backends.
  • No Signup Needed: Expose does not require any registration to use.
  • Custom Domains and Subdomains: Paid plans offer more customization.

How to Use Expose

Install Expose globally using Composer:

bash
composer global require beyondcode/expose

Then run the following command to share your local server:

bash
expose share 8000

Expose will generate a public URL, which you can share.

Example:

bash
expose share 8080

Your local server running on port 8080 will now be accessible via a public URL provided by Expose.

Telebit

Telebit is another great alternative for tunneling services, designed with privacy and security in mind. It provides an easy way to share your local development server with HTTPS support.

Features of Telebit

  • Custom Domains: You can get a subdomain from Telebit or configure your custom domain.
  • Private Tunnels: You can establish secure private tunnels.
  • Multi-Platform Support: Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

How to Use Telebit

First, install Telebit using npm:

bash
npm install -g telebit

After installation, expose your local server by running:

bash
telebit http 3000

Example:

bash
telebit http 5000

Telebit will generate a public URL where you can access your server running on localhost:5000.

LocalXpose

LocalXpose is a tool designed for developers who need to expose their local network or development environment to the internet. It’s a great alternative to popular tunneling solutions like Ngrok, offering both free and paid plans. LocalXpose supports multiple protocols, and it’s known for its ease of use and security features.

Features of LocalXpose

  • No Installation Required: You can use it via a CLI or desktop app, without complex setup.
  • Automatic HTTPS: Like Ngrok, LocalXpose provides HTTPS encryption for all traffic.
  • Multi-Protocol Support: LocalXpose supports HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and UDP tunneling.
  • Custom Domains and Subdomains: Paid users can take advantage of custom domain features for branding.
  • Private Tunnels: With the pro plan, you can create password-protected tunnels for additional security.

How to Use LocalXpose

To get started with LocalXpose, you need to sign up for an account on their official site and download the CLI or desktop application.

Once you have LocalXpose set up, exposing your local server is as easy as running a command. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Install LocalXpose by downloading the appropriate version for your operating system or use the following commands if you’re using the CLI version.
  2. Run the following command to share your local server:
bash
lx tunnel http 3000

This will expose your local HTTP server running on port 3000 to a publicly accessible URL.

Example:

bash
lx tunnel http 8080

Output:

bash
HTTP tunnel started: https://unique-subdomain.lxproxy.com -> http://localhost:8080

The output URL (https://unique-subdomain.lxproxy.com) is publicly accessible and can be shared with others. Anyone with the URL can access your local development server running on localhost:8080.

Additional Features of LocalXpose

  • CLI or GUI: You can choose between a command-line interface or a more user-friendly graphical interface depending on your preference.
  • Custom Subdomains and Password Protection: Paid versions offer more advanced options such as password protection for your tunnels and custom subdomains.
  • Bandwidth and Session Limits: LocalXpose’s free tier comes with certain bandwidth and session length restrictions, but these can be lifted by subscribing to the paid plan.

LocalXpose vs Ngrok

Both LocalXpose and Ngrok are excellent tunneling solutions, but they have key differences:

  1. Ease of Use: Ngrok has a more polished UI, but LocalXpose is also intuitive and supports a similar range of features.
  2. Protocol Support: LocalXpose supports HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and UDP tunnels, making it a versatile option, similar to Ngrok.
  3. Pricing and Free Plans: LocalXpose provides more generous free tier options for custom domains and bandwidth limits compared to Ngrok’s free plan.
  4. Security: Both services offer secure, encrypted tunnels, but LocalXpose’s ability to provide private password-protected tunnels at no extra cost is a bonus.

Why Choose LocalXpose?

LocalXpose is an ideal choice for developers who want to test applications in real-time or need to share a local server with clients, testers, or collaborators. Its support for multiple protocols makes it versatile for a wide range of use cases, from web development to database testing and more.

If you’re looking for a straightforward solution with easy setup, robust security, and multi-protocol support, LocalXpose is an excellent alternative to tools like Ngrok or Serveo.

Conclusion

Sharing your localhost environment online has never been easier, thanks to the array of powerful and user-friendly tools available today. From Ngrok and Localtunnel to lesser-known but effective options like LocalXpose and Serveo, there are tools for every developer’s need.

Whether you want a no-installation, open-source solution like Serveo, a feature-rich service like Ngrok, or an all-in-one secure option like LocalXpose, you can choose the best tool based on your specific use case. LocalXpose stands out for its protocol flexibility, easy-to-use CLI, and support for secure password-protected tunnels.

The key considerations for choosing the right tool depend on your needs for security, custom domains, collaboration, and the types of protocols you want to tunnel. Regardless of your choice, these tools can streamline your workflow, enhance collaboration, and enable real-time testing, making it easier for you to develop, test, and showcase your applications in a real-world environment.