Tunnelmole

To use a specific subdomain that does not change frequently, use the as keyword:

tmole 8080 as <yourdomain>.tunnelmole.net

Note: Using custom subdomains on the hosted service requires a paid subscription. Alternatively, you can self-host the Tunnelmole service.

To create a public URL for a locally running server, run the tmole command followed by the port number your application is listening on.

Example: If your app is on port 8080, run:

tmole 8080

This will output public HTTPs and HTTP URLs that tunnel to your local port.

You can install pre-built binaries for various platforms without needing a global npm installation.

Linux, Mac and WSL

Use the following curl command to run the installation script:

curl -O https://install.tunnelmole.com/n3d5g/install && sudo bash install

Windows

1. Download tmole.exe.
2. Add the directory containing tmole.exe to your system PATH.

If you have NodeJS 16.10 or later, you can install the Tunnelmole CLI globally using npm.

sudo npm install -g tunnelmole

Use environment variables to control Tunnelmole's behavior:

• TUNNELMOLE_QUIET_MODE=1: Suppresses the initial console output containing the public URLs. Useful for CI/CD or automated scripts.
• TUNNELMOLE_TELEMETRY=0: Disables the collection of anonymized telemetry data (NodeJS version, OS, and crash reports).

The tunnelmole CLI (aliased as tmole) allows you to expose a local server running on a specific port to a public URL.

Get a random public URL (Free)

To get a random, temporary public URL, run the command followed by the port number: tmole <port>

Example: If your server is on port 80, run tmole 80. Your server will be accessible via a random URL like https://f38fg.tunnelmole.net.

Get a persistent public URL (Subscription required)

To use a specific, unchanging subdomain, use the as syntax: tmole <port> as <subdomain>.tunnelmole.net

Example: tmole 80 as myapi.tunnelmole.net. This requires a subscription and an API key.

When installed as an NPM dependency, you can use the local binaries tmole or tunnelmole located in node_modules/.bin/. This allows you to automate starting your app and the tunnel in a single command via package.json.

Example package.json configuration:

{
    "name": "myapp",
    "version": "0.0.1",
    "scripts": {
        "start": "dist/index.js",
        "start-public": "npm run start && tmole 3000"
    }
}

You can integrate Tunnelmole directly into your Node.js application (requires Node 16.10+).

Installation

npm install --save tunnelmole

Implementation

Import the tunnelmole function and call it with a configuration object. The function is async and returns the public URL. It starts the tunnel in the background and does not block the rest of your code execution.

ES Module Import

import { tunnelmole } from 'tunnelmole';

CommonJS Import

const tunnelmole = require('tunnelmole/cjs');

Basic Usage

const url = await tunnelmole({
    port: 3000
});
// url = https://idsq6j-ip-157-211-195-169.tunnelmole.net

Usage with a custom domain

const url = await tunnelmole({
    port: 3000,
    domain: '<your tunnelmole domain e.g. mysite.tunnelmole.net>'
});

The Tunnelmole CLI provides commands to manage your API key and reserved subdomains. These are handled via specific command-line options:

• setApiKey: Used to set your Tunnelmole API key.
• unreserveSubdomain: Used to unreserve a subdomain you have previously claimed.

To expose a local port to the internet, run the Tunnelmole CLI followed by the port number. This will launch a tunnel for that specific port.

Example usage:

tunnelmole 8080