msparks/localtunnel repository overview

⁠docker-localtunnel

localtunnel.me⁠ is a service that allows you to share a web server running on your local machine (or local network) with a publicly accessible URL.

This Docker image packages the lt tool so you don't have to install node, npm, or localtunnel on your development machine.

⁠Diagram

When packaged in a Docker image, the lt tool will run inside of a Docker container, possibly inside a boot2docker⁠ VM. Here's the flow of an HTTP request using this image.

user's browser -> yourendpoint.localtunnel.me -> lt in docker container
                                                          |
                                                         \|/
                                                 <boot2docker VM host>:8000
                                                         OR
                                                 <dev machine>:8000

The key point is that development webserver needs to be accessible from the Docker container running msparks/localtunnel. That means you won't be able to listen on localhost (127.0.0.1 or [::1]). Instead, listen on all interfaces (or at least one accessible from your Docker containers). Start your development webserver listening on 0.0.0.0 or [::] and things should work.

If you're using boot2docker, the IP address defaults are:

• 192.168.59.3 for the VM host side (i.e., the physical machine)
• 192.168.59.103 for the VM guest side (i.e., the boot2docker VM)

These IP addresses are used below in the Usage section.

⁠Usage

Set up a tunnel to a webserver running on port 8000 on the boot2docker host machine.

docker run --rm msparks/localtunnel --local-host 192.168.59.3 --port 8000

Set up a tunnel to a webserver running on port 8000 in another Docker container running in the boot2docker VM.

docker run --rm msparks/localtunnel --local-host 192.168.59.103 --port 8000

Set up a tunnel to a webserver running on port 8000 somewhere else accessible from the Docker container.

docker run --rm msparks/localtunnel \
  --local-host some.other.example.com --port 8000

⁠Tips

Here's a quick way to serve static files on the public web from the current shell directory ($PWD). Note that this is the second case above, with two Docker containers in a boot2docker VM.

First terminal (webserver serving from the current directory):

docker run --rm -p 8000:80 -v $PWD:/usr/share/nginx/html:ro nginx

Second terminal (localtunnel server):

docker run --rm msparks/localtunnel --local-host 192.168.59.103 --port 8000