ngrok

creates secure tunnels to localhost

TLDR

Expose local port

$ ngrok http [8080]

Expose with custom domain

$ ngrok http --domain=[myapp.ngrok-free.app] [8080]

TCP tunnel

$ ngrok tcp [22]

Start named tunnel from config

$ ngrok start [tunnel-name]

Start all tunnels from config

$ ngrok start --all

Set authentication token

$ ngrok config add-authtoken [token]

TLS tunnel

$ ngrok tls [443]

Expose with basic auth

$ ngrok http --basic-auth="[user]:[password]" [8080]

Check configuration file validity

$ ngrok config check

Diagnose connectivity

$ ngrok diagnose

ngrok creates secure tunnels from a public endpoint to a locally running service. It exposes local servers to the internet through a public URL without deploying or configuring firewalls.Common use cases include webhook development, demo presentations, testing mobile backends, and remote access to local services. The web inspection interface (default at localhost:4040) allows real-time traffic inspection and replay.

PARAMETERS

http PORT

Create HTTP tunnel to local port.

tcp PORT

Create TCP tunnel.

tls PORT

Create TLS tunnel (does not terminate TLS).

start name

Start named tunnel(s) from configuration file.

config SUBCOMMAND

Manage ngrok configuration (add-authtoken, check, edit).

diagnose

Run connectivity diagnostics to ngrok service.

service action

Manage ngrok as a system service (install, start, stop, restart, uninstall).

--domain NAME

Custom domain for tunnel endpoint.

--region REGION

Region for tunnel (us, eu, ap, au, sa, jp, in).

--log path

Write logs to file or "stdout"/"stderr".

--basic-auth USER:PASSWORD

Add HTTP basic authentication to the tunnel.

api SUBCOMMAND

Access the ngrok API (e.g., list tunnels, manage reserved domains).

--help

Display help information.

INSTALL

nix profile install nixpkgs#ngrok

CAVEATS

Free tier has connection limits and randomized URLs that change on restart. An account and authtoken are required for most features. The --subdomain flag was replaced by --domain in newer versions.

HISTORY

ngrok was created by Alan Shreve to provide secure tunnels for local development.