Ngrok
ngrok is a cross-platform application that enables developers to expose a local development server to the Internet for testing and sharing their work. It creates secure tunnels from a public URL to a locally running web service.
tunneling
networking
development
testing
ngrok: Cross-Platform Application for Secure Local Development Server Exposure
ngrok enables developers to expose local development servers to the Internet for testing and sharing their work, creating secure tunnels from a public URL to a locally running web service.
What is Ngrok?
ngrok is a cross-platform tunneling application that enables developers to expose a locally running web service to the Internet for testing, sharing, and demonstrating their work. It establishes secure tunnels from a public URL to a web server running on your local machine, allowing external users to access your local sites.
Some key features of ngrok include:
- Exposes local web servers to the public Internet via a unique, randomized URL
- Provides detailed request inspection and logging for debugging
- Supports HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, TLS protocols
- Integrates with CI/CD pipelines for testing
- Offers configurable options such as custom subdomains, basic authentication, etc.
- Free and paid plans with varying usage limits
ngrok is very useful for development and testing environments where you want to showcase work hosted on your local machine. The secure tunnels keep your machine safe from attacks while enabling convenient external access. It's a versatile tool for web developers, DevOps teams, and anyone working on network-enabled software or services.
Ngrok Features
Features
- Secure tunnels to localhost
- Inspect HTTP traffic
- Replay past requests
- Online subdomain management
- Custom subdomains
- HTTP/HTTPS support
- TCP/TLS tunnels
- Webhook forwarding
- Concurrent connections
Pricing
- Free
- Freemium
- Subscription-Based
Pros
Easy to set up
Works across platforms
Free tier available
Good documentation
Feature-rich paid tiers
Allows testing locally-hosted apps externally
Cons
Limited concurrent connections on free tier
No SLA on free tier
Can be complex for beginners
Paid tiers can get expensive for individuals
Official Links
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