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TrapdoorFree ngrok Alternative

Expose your localhost to the internet with custom subdomains. No interstitial page. Half the price of ngrok.

Trapdoor tunnel connecting localhost to the internet

Quick Start โ€‹

bash
# Install (macOS/Linux)
curl -fsSL https://trapdoor.sh/install.sh | sh

# Expose your local server
trapdoor 3000

You'll get a URL like https://abc123.trapdoor.sh that forwards to your localhost:3000.

What is Trapdoor? โ€‹

Trapdoor is a localhost tunneling service that exposes your local development server to the internet. It creates a secure HTTPS tunnel from a public URL to your machine, allowing you to share your work, test webhooks, and demo applications without deploying to a server.

How It Works โ€‹

  1. Install the Trapdoor client on your machine
  2. Run trapdoor 3000 to expose your local port
  3. Share your public URL like https://myapp.trapdoor.sh

Your local server is now accessible from anywhere in the world through an encrypted tunnel.

Use Cases โ€‹

  • Webhook Testing - Receive webhooks from Stripe, GitHub, Slack directly on localhost
  • Mobile Development - Test your app on real devices without deploying
  • Client Demos - Show work-in-progress to clients without hosting
  • API Development - Let teammates test your local API endpoints
  • IoT Projects - Connect IoT devices to your development machine

Why Trapdoor over ngrok? โ€‹

ngrok Freengrok PaidTrapdoor FreeTrapdoor Pro
Price$0$8/mo$0$4/mo
Tunnels131Unlimited
Custom subdomainโŒ Noโœ… Yesโœ… Yesโœ… Yes
Interstitial pageโŒ Yesโœ… Noโœ… Noโœ… No
Bandwidth1GB5GBUnlimitedUnlimited
Requests20k100kUnlimitedUnlimited

The ngrok Problem โ€‹

ngrok's free tier displays an annoying interstitial warning page that visitors must click through before reaching your site. This breaks webhook integrations, ruins client demos, and looks unprofessional. Removing it costs $8/month.

Trapdoor never shows an interstitial page - not even on the free tier.