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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

AS

24 alternatives to A simple self-hosted ngrok alternative

This is a proof of concept utility which allows you to expose local services to the internet at large: https://github.com/skx/tunneller In short it is a simple ngrok alternative, which you can self-host. Because it is a proof of concept it hasn't been tested extensively, but it seems like it will solve my immediate-needs. Of course it needs test, and structure added. But feedback can't hurt :)

Tunneller is a self-hosted utility that exposes local services to the internet, functioning as an alternative to ngrok. Designed for developers who want to tunnel local applications without relying on third-party… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. A simple self-hosted ngrok alternative launched in 2019; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    Expose local http, tcp or websocket connections to the public internet - amalshaji/portr

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    Get your localhost app online in an instant, no api keys or login required.

    2023 · hello.ports.live · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    ngrok▲547

    Serve local web apps with one command

    2022 · ngrok.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    ngrok is developer infrastructure that routes and secures traffic to your apps, APIs, and AI models, wherever they run. Start on localhost, ship to prod.

    2013 · ngrok.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5AS

    Hi! I am sharing this because it may be useful to others. I created a simple Docker image that lets you easily expose a web app running locally on your dev machine to the Internet, via a proxy server. It is a self hosted alternative to something like Ngrok, which is a paid service if you use custom domains. A small server is cheaper than Ngrok (I use Hetzner Cloud and the cheapest server costs me 3€ per month). I use this method in particular to test HTTP verification with Let's Encrypt for a SaaS app running on my Mac. Hope this is useful :) Code:…

    2019 · its alternatives →

  6. 6

    Expose localhost to the internet with a public URL

    2020 · tunnelto.dev · its alternatives →

  7. 7
    A2ROK▲14

    Tunneling Service for Multiple Protocols

    2025 · a2rok.harshkeshri.com · its alternatives →

  8. 8

    Pico is an open-source alternative to Ngrok. Unlike most other open-source tunnelling solutions, Pico is designed to serve production traffic and be simple to host (particularly on Kubernetes). Upstream services connect to Pico and register endpoints. Pico will then route requests for an endpoint to a registered upstream service via its outbound-only connection. This means you can expose your services without opening a public port. Pico runs as a cluster of nodes in order to be fault tolerant, scale horizontally and support zero downtime deployments. It is also easy to host, such as a…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9PA

    Hey HN! localtunnel's server needs random ports per client. That doesn't work on Fly.io or behind strict firewalls. We rewrote it in TypeScript and added multiplexing over a single port. Open-source and 100% self-hostable. Public instance at *.pipenet.dev if you don't want to self-host. Built at Glama for our MCP Inspector, but it's a generic tunnel with no ties to our infra. https://github.com/punkpeye/pipenet

    Jan 2026 · pipenet.dev · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    I built a DNS resolver that lets me use https://frontend.numa instead of localhost:5173 — auto-generated TLS certs, WebSocket passthrough, path routing. No mkcert, no nginx, no /etc/hosts.

    Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11
    wsgrok▲7

    I built it for myself because ngrok didn't let me add one more domain unless I paid $12 more. I probably should've looked for alternatives before building my own, but my grudge got in the way . Once I started, I wanted to make it better than the other options. Silly, I know. No one probably cares. I plan to open source it sometime next year because I’ve got other projects to finish first. It's free until I deplete my cloud credits, then it will switch to a tier-based model with a free option.

    Jan 2026 · wsgrok.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    One private gateway for every AI model

    Aug 2026 · ngrok.ai · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    Faster, more private internet by Cloudflare, now on mobile

    2018 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Secure tunnels to your localhost - now even better

    2015 · ngrok.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15OS

    I've been working on this for some time now, starting with vm2, then deno-core for 2 years, and recently rewrote it on rusty_v8 with Claude's help. OpenWorkers lets you run untrusted JS in V8 isolates on your own infrastructure. Same DX as Cloudflare Workers, no vendor lock-in. What works today: fetch, KV, Postgres bindings, S3/R2, cron scheduling, crypto.subtle. Self-hosting is a single docker-compose file + Postgres. Would love feedback on the architecture and what feature you'd want next.

    Jan 2026 · openworkers.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16
    Pinggy▲282

    Public URLs for localhost without downloading any binary

    2024 · pinggy.io · its alternatives →

  17. 17

    Hey there I made a opensource alternative for these services. Although these worked very well, I was not so confident what they do. So I made my own and opensourced it. It is written in Golang and is fully customizable.

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    Tunnel, inspect & mock localhost - no backend needed

    Apr 2026 · proxyhub.app · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Expose your local web server to the internet with a public URL

    2020 · tunnelto.dev · its alternatives →

  20. 20IM

    Tools, calculator, and helpful information for network engineering, web developers, and IT professionals.

    2013 · tunnelsup.com · its alternatives →

  21. 21
    ngrok▲8

    Securely tunnel local development to the web

    2016 · ngrok.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Pinggy is the simplest way to bring your localhost projects online. It the the fastest way to create secure tunnels to localhost with a public url.

    2023 · pinggy.io · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    Expose Your Localhost Securely

    2024 · rabonatunnel.com · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    DIY ngrok alternative. Contribute to ziolko/tunnel development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

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