How to expose localhost:5500 to the internet
Port 5500 is where your dev server lives right now. Here is how to put a public HTTPS URL in front of it without deploying.
Live Server extension in VS Code uses 5500. Good for quick static site previews. The tunnel does not care what framework you run. It forwards HTTPS to whatever is bound on 5500.
Quick start
curl -fsSL https://get.ngsrv.com | bash
ngsrv token <YOUR_TOKEN>
ngsrv http 5500
You get a public URL like https://furry-otter-1842.tnl.ngsrv.com that routes to http://localhost:5500.
What usually runs on 5500
- Live Server (VS Code)
- static HTML previews
Typical dev command: npx live-server --port=5500
Install the CLI
# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install ngsrv/tap/ngsrv
# macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://get.ngsrv.com | bash
# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://get.ngsrv.com/windows | iex
Sign up at ngsrv.com/register if you need a token. Free tier, no card.
Run the tunnel
With your server already up on port 5500:
ngsrv http 5500
Sample output:
forwarding https://furry-otter-1842.tnl.ngsrv.com -> http://localhost:5500
status online
Stable subdomain (optional)
Random names change when you restart. For webhooks or client previews, reserve one:
ngsrv http 5500 --subdomain static-preview
# -> https://static-preview.tnl.ngsrv.com
When it breaks
connection refused — Nothing is listening on 5500. Confirm with lsof -i :5500 (macOS/Linux) or netstat -ano | findstr :5500 (Windows).
401 invalid token — Re-run ngsrv token <YOUR_TOKEN> from the dashboard.
Tunnel drops — ngsrv reconnects on its own. Persistent drops usually mean VPN or proxy interference.