Tunnel for developers and CTOs
A local tunnel to a public HTTPS URL, in one command
syncyak http 3000 puts the app on your laptop at a public HTTPS address in seconds.
Free tier on every product. No card.
A local tunnel gives the app running on your machine a public HTTPS address, so a phone, a colleague or a webhook sender can reach it without a deploy. With SyncYak you run syncyak http 3000 and the CLI prints an address such as https://quiet-yak-4821.syncyak.cloud that forwards every request to http://localhost:3000 until you stop it.
The tunnel is outbound from your machine, so it works behind home routers, office firewalls and hotel Wi-Fi without opening ports. HTTPS is terminated at SyncYak’s edge with a valid certificate, which means browsers, OAuth providers and webhook senders accept the address as they would a production site.
How it works
How to start a localhost tunnel in three steps
Install the syncyak CLI
Download it for Windows, macOS or Linux from your Tunnel console, then save your token once with syncyak config add-authtoken.
Forward a port
Run syncyak http 3000. The CLI prints a public HTTPS address that forwards to http://localhost:3000.
Share it or keep it
Send the address to anyone, paste it into a webhook setting, or reserve a name so it stays the same tomorrow.
A localhost tunnel that behaves like a real site
Development servers often care about the Host header. Add --host-header=rewrite and your app sees Host: localhost:3000, which keeps Vite, the webpack dev server and Django’s ALLOWED_HOSTS happy. If the local app itself speaks HTTPS with a self-signed certificate, point the CLI at https://localhost:8443 and it forwards without verifying the local certificate.
You can forward to another machine on your network too: syncyak http 192.168.1.20:8080 exposes a device or a VM that has no CLI of its own.
Keep the same tunnel address with a reserved name
A random name is fine for a quick look. For anything you configure elsewhere, such as an OAuth redirect URI, a Stripe webhook or a client’s bookmark, reserve a name on a paid plan and start the tunnel with it: syncyak http 3000 myapp.syncyak.live. The name is yours until you release it, and the CLI keeps it across reconnects.
- Reserved names on .syncyak.live and the other tunnel domains
- Basic auth on the tunnel with --basic-auth
- A status screen with latency, bandwidth and the latest requests
Use cases
What people use a local tunnel for
Show work in progress
Send a client or a teammate a link to the branch running on your laptop, and see their feedback before you deploy.
Test on a real phone
Open the HTTPS address on a phone to check touch, camera and geolocation features that need a secure origin.
Receive webhooks locally
Point Stripe, GitHub, a CRM or a SyncYak Parse inbox at your machine and debug the handler with breakpoints.
What you get with Tunnel
Tunnel is the tunnel product of SyncYak, one account that also covers email parsing, a mailbox API, CRM sync and error tracking. The CLI runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, keeps reconnecting with backoff when your network drops, and keeps a reserved name for as long as you hold it.
Free gives you 1 tunnel with a random name and 2 GB of traffic a month. Hobby is $8 a month for 3 tunnels, 3 reserved names and 25 GB; traffic past your plan can continue at $0.05 per GB up to a cap you set.
- syncyak http 3000 for a random HTTPS address, or a reserved name such as myapp.syncyak.live
- HTTPS to your local app, another machine on your network, or a local HTTPS server
- --host-header=rewrite for Vite, webpack dev server and Django, --basic-auth to keep visitors out
- A request inspector that keeps traffic for 24 hours on Free and longer on paid plans
Frequently asked questions
Something else? Write to [email protected] and a person answers.
Is a local tunnel safe?
Only the port you name is reachable, and only while the CLI runs. Add --basic-auth to require a username and password, and stop the tunnel with Ctrl+C when you are done.
Does it work behind a firewall?
Yes. The CLI makes an outbound connection to SyncYak, so no inbound port has to be opened on your router or firewall.
Which operating systems are supported?
The syncyak CLI runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It stores its configuration in your user configuration folder with permissions only you can read.
What happens when my Wi-Fi drops?
The CLI reconnects on its own, backing off from 1 second to 30 seconds. A random name is kept for 10 minutes, a reserved name always.
Is there a free plan for Tunnel?
Yes. Tunnel has a free tier with no card and no end date: 1 tunnel, random subdomain, 2 gb a month. Paid tiers start at $8 a month, and you can move up or down at any time.
Can I use the other SyncYak products on the same account?
Yes. Email parsing, the mailbox API, CRM sync, error tracking and tunnels share one login, one team, one API key system and one bill. Each product has its own tier, so you only pay more for the one that grows.
Related
Related solutions
Start with Tunnel free
1 tunnel, Random subdomain, 2 GB a month, free every month. Set up in minutes, and add the other SyncYak products on the same account when you need them.
Free tier on every product. No card.