What is ngrok?
ngrok is developer infrastructure that routes and secures traffic to apps, APIs, and AI models, wherever they run. It goes beyond a localhost tunnel by offering a managed AI Gateway and an all-in-one cloud networking platform that secures, transforms, and routes traffic to services running anywhere.
Key Features
- Share localhost: ngrok exposes a local app to the internet so it can be shared and accessed remotely. Setup is available through package managers including Homebrew (
brew install ngrok), Scoop (scoop install ngrok), and Docker (docker pull ngrok/ngrok). - AI Gateway: A managed path to any model and inference provider. Changing a single URL routes traffic between hosted or self-hosted models, with failover and observability built in.
- Gateway: An all-in-one cloud networking platform that secures, transforms, and routes traffic to all services no matter where they run.
- Traffic routing and security: ngrok routes and secures traffic to apps, APIs, and AI models across both local and production environments.
- Agent-assisted setup: ngrok publishes an agent setup prompt file that developers can point an AI agent at to get an app online with ngrok.
- API and automation support: Users highlight ngrok's APIs and automation for establishing secure remote connectivity to customer environments via REST APIs.
- Cross-platform installation: ngrok is distributed for macOS, Windows, and Docker, fitting into existing developer workflows.
Use Cases
- Local development and demos: Developers share a local app running on localhost so teammates, clients, or collaborators can access it without deploying to production.
- AI and model routing: Teams route requests between hosted or self-hosted models through a single managed URL, with failover and observability handled by the AI Gateway.
- Enterprise customer onboarding: Engineering organizations use ngrok to establish secure remote connectivity with customer environments, reducing operational complexity during onboarding.
- Multi-service networking: Teams route, secure, and transform traffic to services running anywhere using the Gateway platform.
- API-driven connectivity: Engineers automate secure remote connections to customer environments through ngrok's REST APIs.
Who It Is For
ngrok serves developers, engineering teams, and platform or infrastructure engineers who need to expose local apps, route traffic to services across environments, or manage access to AI models. It addresses the networking overhead that otherwise slows development and customer onboarding, letting engineers spend less time troubleshooting proxy issues and more time building.
Pricing
ngrok offers a free way to get started, and the source indicates paid plans exist without quoting specific prices. Developers can begin on localhost and scale to production.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ngrok used for?
ngrok is developer infrastructure used to route and secure traffic to apps, APIs, and AI models wherever they run. Common uses include sharing a localhost app, routing between AI model providers through the AI Gateway, and connecting securely to customer environments.
Is ngrok free?
ngrok offers a free way to get started, as stated on its website. Paid plans are also available for teams that need more than the free offering.
How do I install ngrok?
ngrok can be installed through package managers and container tooling, including Homebrew on macOS (brew install ngrok), Scoop on Windows (scoop install ngrok), and Docker (docker pull ngrok/ngrok).
What is the difference between ngrok's AI Gateway and Gateway?
The AI Gateway is a managed path to any model and inference provider, letting users change one URL to route between hosted or self-hosted models with failover and observability. Gateway is a broader cloud networking platform that secures, transforms, and routes traffic to all services regardless of where they run.
Who should use ngrok?
ngrok suits developers and engineering teams who need to expose local apps, route and secure traffic to services in any environment, or manage AI model access. It is also used by organizations that require secure, API-driven remote connectivity to customer environments.
