ngrok
Tunnels to expose a local application on the Internet, API gateway and Kubernetes ingress. Free plan limited to 3 endpoints; Hobbyist at $10 a month.
Exposing a local service is a reverse tunnel: a small server on your VPS and a client on your machine do the same job, with your own domain and no limit. frp (free software) or a plain SSH tunnel already do it. What you lose: the comfortable request inspector and ready-made domains. For development use, it is one of the easiest replacements.
What you lose
- The request inspector to debug webhooks
- Ready-made domains
- The API gateway and access controls
- No server to maintain
Existing alternatives to ngrok
- frpOpen source
Fast reverse proxy (Apache-2.0) to expose a local service behind a NAT or firewall.
- cloudflaredOpen source
Tunnel to your local machine (Apache-2.0), using Cloudflare's free service.
- ratholeOpen source
Lightweight, fast reverse tunnel (Apache-2.0) to host on a small server.
The prompt to build it yourself
Set up a self-hosted tunnel to expose my local applications, to replace ngrok. Do not develop a tunnel: deploy frp (frps server on my VPS, frpc client on my machine). To do: - frps on my VPS behind Caddy, with an authentication token in .env, a wildcard *.dev.mydomain subdomain and automatic HTTPS. - A frpc.toml file with an example per service (port 3000 → app.dev.mydomain) and an `expose <port> <name>` script that opens it in one command. - A small request inspector on localhost (Node): list of received requests with headers and body, button to replay a request, useful for webhooks. - Rate limit and optional allowed-address list, tunnels closed by default when I am not working. - Connection log. Out of scope: API gateway, Kubernetes ingress, visitor authentication. README: server installation, wildcard DNS, using the script, and a reminder that anything exposed is public.
Frequently asked questions
- Can ngrok be replaced by a custom-built tool?
- casevibecode verdict: Replaceable. Exposing a local service is a reverse tunnel: a small server on your VPS and a client on your machine do the same job, with your own domain and no limit. frp (free software) or a plain SSH tunnel already do it. What you lose: the comfortable request inspector and ready-made domains. For development use, it is one of the easiest replacements.
- What is ngrok used for?
- Tunnels to expose a local application on the Internet, API gateway and Kubernetes ingress. Free plan limited to 3 endpoints; Hobbyist at $10 a month.
- What alternatives to ngrok already exist?
- frp (open source), cloudflared (open source), rathole (open source). Options to compare before committing to a custom build.
Community feedback
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