localtunnel

What is localtunnel?

The localtunnel npm package allows you to expose your localhost to the world for easy testing and sharing. It creates a publicly accessible URL that proxies all requests to your locally running webserver.

What are localtunnel's main functionalities?

Expose local server to the internet

This feature allows you to expose a local server running on a specific port to the internet by creating a tunnel. The code sample demonstrates how to create a tunnel to a local server running on port 3000 and log the public URL to the console.

const localtunnel = require('localtunnel');

(async () => {
  const tunnel = await localtunnel({ port: 3000 });

  // the assigned public url for your tunnel
  // i.e. https://abcdefgjhij.localtunnel.me
  console.log(tunnel.url);

  tunnel.on('close', () => {
    // tunnels are closed
  });
})();

Specify subdomain

This feature allows you to request a specific subdomain for your tunnel, making the URL easier to remember and share. The code sample shows how to request a tunnel with a custom subdomain.

const localtunnel = require('localtunnel');

(async () => {
  const tunnel = await localtunnel({ port: 3000, subdomain: 'mycustomsubdomain' });

  console.log(tunnel.url);
})();

Close the tunnel

This feature allows you to programmatically close the tunnel when you are done with it. The code sample demonstrates how to close the tunnel.

const localtunnel = require('localtunnel');

(async () => {
  const tunnel = await localtunnel({ port: 3000 });

  console.log(tunnel.url);

  // When you are done with the tunnel
  tunnel.close();
})();

Other packages similar to localtunnel

ngrok

Ngrok is a popular tool that provides similar functionality to localtunnel. It creates secure tunnels to localhost and offers features like custom domains, reserved subdomains, and encrypted tunnels. Ngrok also has a paid version with additional features.

serveo

Serveo is an SSH server just for remote port forwarding. It works using existing SSH functionality, so there's no need to install a client. However, as of my knowledge cutoff in 2023, Serveo has been temporarily disabled due to phishing abuse.

README

localtunnel

localtunnel exposes your localhost to the world for easy testing and sharing! No need to mess with DNS or deploy just to have others test out your changes.

Great for working with browser testing tools like browserling or external api callback services like twilio which require a public url for callbacks.

installation

npm install -g localtunnel

use

Super Easy! Assuming your local server is running on port 8000, just use the lt command to start the tunnel.

lt --port 8000

Thats it! It will connect to the tunnel server, setup the tunnel, and tell you what url to use for your testing. This url will remain active for the duration of your session; so feel free to share it with others for happy fun time!

You can restart your local server all you want, lt is smart enough to detect this and reconnect once it is back.

API

The localtunnel client is also usable through an API (test integration, automation, etc)

var lt_client = require('localtunnel').client;

var client = lt_client.connect({
    // the localtunnel server
    host: 'http://localtunnel.me',
    // your local application port
    port: 12345
});

// when your are assigned a url
client.on('url', function(url) {
    // you can now make http requests to the url
    // they will be proxied to your local server on port [12345]
});

client.on('error', function(err) {
    // uh oh!
});