Ngrok: Create & Share a URL to Your Localhost Server

Charlie Reese -

This article covers how to use ngrok to easily share a public URL that connects to your local web server (which may be running a website or application that you are developing). This is a great way to test and develop webhook endpoints, or share web applications that are under development, all without having to deploy your code!

This article is broken down into the following steps:

  1. Installing ngrok
  2. Creating a secure introspectable tunnel to localhost (i.e. creating a URL to share your local web server)
  3. Accessing a web application running on localhost
  4. Using the ngrok dashboard to replay requests

1. Installing Ngrok

Installing ngrok is incredibly simple:

  • Create a free ngrok account
  • Download ngrok
  • Unzip ngrok (Mac users can unzip ngrok by simply double clicking it in their downloads folder)
  • Move the unzipped ngrok binary into your path (so you can call ngrok). Command for Mac users: mv ~/Downloads/ngrok /usr/local/bin
  • Your ngrok binary may be in a different location than mine, so you may have to run a slightly different command than listed above
  • Connect to your ngrok account by running the ngrok auth command in your terminal found here
  • It should look something like ngrok authtoken abc123...

After completing the above steps, you are ready to begin creating instant, secure URLs to your localhost server! Time for step 2.

2. Creating a Secure Introspectable Tunnel to Localhost

Now that you've moved the ngrok binary into your path, you can start using it! To create a tunnel to your localhost server on port 3000, you can run the following:

ngrok http 3000

3. Accessing a Web Application Running on Localhost

The previous command you ran, ngrok http 3000, will output something like this:

ngrok by @inconshreveable                                                           (Ctrl+C to quit)

Session Status                online
Account                       YOUR@EMAIL (Plan: Free)
Version                       YOUR.VERS.ION
Region                        United States (us)
Web Interface                 http://127.0.0.1:4040
Forwarding                    http://e123fe.ngrok.io -> http://localhost:3000
Forwarding                    https://e123fe.ngrok.io -> http://localhost:3000

You will be able to access whatever you are running on localhost:3000 through the URL that follows Forwarding above! That means you can share the URL with colleagues in different locations, and they will also be able to access what you are running locally!

4. Using the Ngrok Dashboard to Replay Requests

Using the Web Interface, which by default runs at localhost:4040, you are able to view information for all requests and responses. You are also able to replay previous requests as many times as desired; replaying previous requests is very helpful when debugging or developing webhook endpoints (for services like Twilio)!

And there you have it! Ngrok is easy to install and use, and it's a great way to make what you're running locally temporarily available to the world!

Note: don't forget to be mindful of security when using ngrok