Top Forward Alternatives: Exposing Your Localhost to the Web

Forward is a fantastic tool described as "The easiest way to share localhost over the web." It simplifies the process of making your local development environment accessible to the outside world. However, depending on your specific needs, budget, or preferred features, you might be looking for a Forward alternative. Whether you need more control, specific integrations, or a different pricing model, there are numerous powerful options available that offer similar, and sometimes enhanced, capabilities for exposing your localhost.

Best Forward Alternatives

To help you find the perfect solution, we've compiled a list of the top alternatives to Forward, each offering unique strengths for web developers, testers, and anyone needing to share local servers.

ngrok

ngrok is a widely popular Forward alternative that exposes local servers behind NATs and firewalls to the public internet over secure tunnels. It's available on Freemium, Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD, and FreeBSD platforms, offering robust networking features. If you need a reliable and well-supported solution for secure local server exposure, ngrok is an excellent choice.

ZEIT Now

ZEIT Now allows you to deploy to the most powerful serverless platform in the world with just one command. It's a versatile Forward alternative that supports Freemium, Open Source, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, and GitHub Gist platforms. With its focus on serverless deployments, it's ideal for those looking for a modern and scalable way to expose applications.

Pagekite

Pagekite is a software that brings your localhost servers online, giving them names and making them globally visible. It's an Open Source Forward alternative available on Freemium, Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and BSD platforms, offering both networking and web server features. It's a great option for anyone needing a flexible and open-source solution to share their local development.

Portmap.io

Portmap.io offers a port forwarding service for exposing your local PC to the internet from behind a firewall or without a real IP address, utilizing OpenVPN or SSH encrypted tunnels. As a Freemium Forward alternative for Mac, Windows, and Linux, it stands out with features like no installation required, OpenVPN, SSH, and a REST API, making it a robust choice for secure port forwarding.

sish

sish is an Open Source, self-hosted Forward alternative that provides HTTP(S)/WS(S)/TCP tunnels to localhost using only SSH. It's a Free solution with features like Raw TCP and SSH tunneling, making it an excellent choice for developers who prefer an open-source, self-managed, and SSH-centric approach to exposing local services.

Packetriot

Packetriot simplifies exposing services and data on local and private networks to the Internet, supporting static websites, dynamic web applications, and more. This Freemium and Self-Hosted Forward alternative is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Its features include support for Let's Encrypt, end-to-end encryption, port forwarding, firewall bypass, and web hosting capabilities, offering a comprehensive solution for various sharing needs.

Kangee

Kangee is an easy-to-use Open-Source Personal On-Demand Fileserver that allows your communication partner to download or upload files to you using only a browser. As a Free Forward alternative for Mac, Windows, and Linux, its primary feature is simplified file sharing, making it ideal for quick and secure file transfers from your local machine.

beame-insta-ssl

beame-insta-ssl is an Open-Source and Free Forward alternative that makes it easy for web developers to implement encryption and secure communications. Available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Web platforms, it focuses on SSL, tunneling, and AES encryption, providing a robust solution for securing your local web services when exposing them.

Holepunch

Holepunch is a completely Open Source local tunneling solution for exposing locally hosted services to the internet at large. As a Freemium Forward alternative available for Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and as a Software as a Service (SaaS), it offers end-to-end encryption, networking, and port forwarding features, making it a comprehensive and flexible option for various use cases.

Yaler

Yaler provides secure remote Web and SSH access to embedded systems behind a firewall, NAT, or mobile network router. This Commercial and Open Source Forward alternative supports Mac, Windows, and Linux. Its key features include embeddability, networking, and SSH tunneling, making it a specialized and secure option for more complex remote access needs.

Each of these Forward alternatives offers unique advantages. Consider your specific requirements, such as platform compatibility, open-source preference, security features, and pricing, to choose the best tool for securely exposing your localhost to the web.