Documentation
Tunnels

Tunnels

Share your local dev server with anyone on the internet. LocalDomain supports three tunnel types — pick the one that fits your use case.

Quick Tunnel

The fastest way to share. Creates a free public URL via Cloudflare's Quick Tunnel service — no account needed.

How to use:

  1. Click the Share button on any domain row
  2. Select the Quick Tunnel tab
  3. Click Start Sharing

You'll get a random URL like https://abc-xyz.trycloudflare.com that anyone can use to access your local server.

Good to know:

  • No Cloudflare account required
  • The URL is random and changes every time you restart the tunnel
  • Works immediately — no setup or configuration
  • Uses Cloudflare's free trycloudflare.com service under the hood
  • Great for quick demos, webhook testing, or showing work to a colleague

Named Tunnel

A persistent public URL on your own domain. Requires a Cloudflare account with a domain.

Named Tunnels have two modes: Automatic and Manual.

Automatic Mode

LocalDomain handles the full setup — creates the tunnel, configures DNS, and starts routing traffic.

How to use:

  1. Click the Share button on a domain row
  2. Select the Named Tunnel tab
  3. Click Sign in to Cloudflare — this opens your browser for Cloudflare OAuth
  4. After signing in, enter your subdomain and Cloudflare domain (e.g., app + yourdomain.com)
  5. You'll see a preview: "Your site will be at https://app.yourdomain.com"
  6. Click Configure & Start

LocalDomain will automatically:

  • Create a Cloudflare tunnel
  • Configure DNS to route app.yourdomain.com to your tunnel
  • Start the tunnel connection

Manual Mode

If you prefer to manage tunnels yourself in the Cloudflare dashboard.

Setup steps:

  1. Go to Cloudflare Zero Trust (opens in a new tab) → Networks → Tunnels
  2. Create a tunnel (or use an existing one) and copy the tunnel token
  3. In the Public Hostname tab, add a hostname:
    • Subdomain: app (your choice)
    • Domain: yourdomain.com
    • Type: HTTP
    • URL: localhost:3000 (your local port)
  4. Back in LocalDomain, select Manual mode
  5. Enter your subdomain, domain, and tunnel token
  6. Click Start Sharing

When to use Named Tunnels:

  • You need a stable, predictable URL (e.g., for OAuth callbacks)
  • You want to share on your own domain
  • You need persistent tunnel configuration that survives restarts

SSH Tunnel

Route traffic through your own VPS using SSH reverse port forwarding. No Cloudflare needed — just an SSH server.

How to use:

  1. Click the Share button on a domain row
  2. Select the SSH Tunnel tab
  3. Fill in your VPS details:
    • Host — your server hostname or IP (e.g., vps.example.com)
    • Port — SSH port (default: 22)
    • User — SSH username (e.g., root)
    • Remote Port — the port on your VPS to expose (e.g., 8080)
    • SSH Key Path — path to your private key (optional, e.g., ~/.ssh/id_rsa)
  4. Click Start Sharing

Your local server will be accessible at http://vps.example.com:8080.

How it works under the hood:

LocalDomain runs an SSH reverse tunnel (ssh -N -R) that forwards traffic from your VPS port to your local machine. This is the same as running:

ssh -N -R 8080:localhost:3000 [email protected]

When to use SSH Tunnels:

  • You already have a VPS or cloud server
  • You don't want to depend on Cloudflare
  • You need full control over the infrastructure
  • You want to use a custom port on your server

Default SSH Settings

If you frequently use SSH tunnels, you can set default values in Settings → Tunnels:

  • Default SSH Host — pre-fills the host field
  • Default SSH User — pre-fills the user field
  • Default SSH Key Path — pre-fills the key path

This saves you from entering the same VPS details every time.

Stopping Tunnels

To stop a running tunnel, click the Stop Sharing button on the domain row. The tunnel process is killed and the public URL stops working immediately.

Cloudflared Binary

LocalDomain automatically downloads the cloudflared binary when you first use a Quick or Named tunnel. No manual installation needed. The binary is stored at:

  • macOS/Linux: /usr/local/bin/cloudflared
  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\LocalDomain\bin\cloudflared.exe
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