exposedev/expose
Expose
Expose is a secure tunneling tool that creates public URLs for local development servers, making them accessible from the internet without complex network configuration. It forwards incoming HTTP requests and responses between a public relay server and a local machine, enabling external services to reach a development environment that would otherwise be isolated behind a firewall or VPN.
The project distinguishes itself through a comprehensive set of webhook debugging and inspection capabilities. It captures all incoming webhook requests and displays them in a real-time dashboard or command-line interface, allowing developers to inspect payloads, replay requests against a local server, and test integrations with external services without deploying to a public environment. Expose also supports permanent subdomains that remain constant across sessions, custom domain mapping with automated SSL certificate management, and token-based client authentication for secure tunnel connections.
Beyond its core tunneling functionality, Expose provides a plugin system for processing and categorizing incoming requests, YAML-based configuration management for consistent tunnel parameters across environments, and the ability to self-host tunneling infrastructure on private hardware. It includes collaboration features such as generating public URLs for team feedback, sharing live previews of local sites, and reusing site configurations across team members. The tool also offers QR code generation for mobile device access, regional server selection for lower latency, and basic authentication to protect shared sites with login credentials.
Features
- Local Server Tunnels - Creates secure public tunnels to local development servers for testing and collaboration without deployment.
- Reverse Proxy Tunneling Tools - Routes external HTTP traffic through a public relay server to a local development machine, capturing and storing all requests for inspection and replay.
- Tunnel Subdomain Reservations - Assigns a fixed, branded subdomain to a tunnel so the public URL remains stable across sessions.
- Webhook Debuggers - Captures, inspects, and replays incoming webhook requests to debug integrations with external services.
- HTTP Request Inspectors - Displays real-time HTTP request details in a web dashboard or command-line interface for debugging.
- HTTP Traffic Inspection - Shows all incoming HTTP requests with status codes and durations in a live web dashboard.
- Real-Time Traffic Dashboards - Provides a web-based interface that displays incoming HTTP requests with status codes and durations, enabling live inspection and replay of traffic.
- Local Webhook Debuggers - Captures, inspects, and replays incoming HTTP requests and webhook payloads for local testing.
- Local Webhook Debuggers - Expose forwards external webhook requests to a local development server so you can test integrations without deploying to a public environment.
- Custom Domain Mapping - Links a verified custom domain to a tunneling cluster for a fully white-label tunnel URL.
- Local Site Exposure - Expose creates a tunnel from a local development URL to a public web server, forwarding requests and responses automatically.
- Private Tunneling Servers - Allows users to deploy and manage their own tunneling servers on private hardware, providing full control over data routing and network configuration.
- Tunnel Client Authentication - Authenticates tunnel clients with personal tokens to establish secure persistent connections.
- Local Site Sharing - Shares a local development site via a public tunnel for collaborative feedback.
- HTTP Request Replay and Diff - Captures incoming HTTP requests and displays them in a CLI or web dashboard for review and resending.
- Request Processing Plugins - Generates modular plugins with custom logic to process and categorize incoming requests.
- Tunnel Project Configurations - Stores per-site tunnel settings in a project-level configuration file so the client applies them automatically when sharing.
- Subdomain Claims - Claims unique subdomains on the public shared domain to prevent traffic interception by other accounts.
- Tunnel Server Routers - Routes shared sites through a designated tunneling server in the user's own infrastructure.
- Request Plugin Management - Lists, enables, and disables request plugins through CLI commands to control request processing.
- Captured Request Replayers - Expose resends a previously captured HTTP request to your local server without triggering the original webhook again, simplifying debugging.
- Regional Edge Selection - Chooses a specific server region from the network to minimize latency for the tunnel.
- Tunnel Server Hosting - Deploys and manages private tunneling infrastructure on your own hardware for full data control.
- White-Label Domain Mapping - Supports reserved subdomains and white-label domain mapping with automated SSL certificate management.
- Webhook Event Highlighting - Highlights specific webhook events in the CLI and dashboard for quick location and inspection.
- Tunnel Feedback URLs - Generates a public URL that lets team members view a local development site without deploying or screen sharing.
- YAML Configuration Files - Defines tunnel parameters, authentication rules, and site settings in project-level YAML files, ensuring consistent deployment across environments.
- HTTP Request Replayers - Expose forwards incoming webhook requests to a local server and replays them later for testing payment providers and external APIs.
- Tunnel Management Dashboards - Provides a web-based interface to view, inspect, and replay HTTP requests sent through active tunnels.
- Tunnel Live Previews - Shares a live preview of a local site with team members via a public URL, eliminating deployment or screen sharing.
- Development Environments - Tunneling service for local development.
Star history
How this analysis was created: This summary and feature list were written by an AI model that read the project's README and public documentation pages. Each feature links to the documentation it came from; stars, license and language come straight from the GitHub API. The model does not read the source code, and the analysis is refreshed when the project is re-analysed. Learn more on our About page.
