Software:Ngrok
| Original author(s) | Alan Shreve |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | ngrok, Inc. |
| Initial release | 26 June 2013[1][2] |
| Written in | Go |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Secure tunneling, developer tools |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | https://ngrok.com |
ngrok is a software platform that provides secure tunneling services, enabling locally hosted web applications and services to be exposed to the public internet through temporary or static public URLs. It is widely used by developers for testing, demonstrations, and receiving webhooks without requiring changes to network or firewall configurations.[3]
Ngrok creates encrypted tunnels that forward external traffic to local servers and supports protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and TLS.[4] Over time, the platform has expanded beyond basic tunneling to offer features such as traffic inspection and replay, access controls, and static domains, positioning it as a broader development and DevOps access tool.[5][6][7]
Originally launched as an open source project under the Apache License,[8] the company incorporated in the USA in 2015.[1] It has since attracted significant venture capital investment, including a $50 million funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners in 2022, reflecting demand for secure and frictionless access to web applications during development and deployment.[9][10] Ngrok’s architecture emphasizes security, providing end-to-end encryption for tunneled traffic.[11]
In 2025, ngrok was named a winner of the Microsoft Store Awards, recognizing its impact within the developer ecosystem.[12][13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Who is ngrok? Where is it based?". https://ngrok.com/docs/guides/site-to-site-connectivity/end-customers#who-is-ngrok-where-is-it-based.
- ↑ "Show HN: ngrok – secure introspectable tunnels to localhost". https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5946981.
- ↑ "How to Set Up ngrok for Local Web Development". https://www.makeuseof.com/ngrok-set-up-local-web-development/.
- ↑ "What is an ngrok tunnel?". https://ngrok.com/blog-post/ngrok-tunnel-explained.
- ↑ "ngrok launches traffic inspector to debug production issues". https://www.infoq.com/news/2024/07/ngrok-traffic-inspector/.
- ↑ "ngrok introduces free static domains". https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/a022f-ngrok-introduces-free-static-domains.
- ↑ "The Most Useful Developer Tools of 2024". https://stackoverflow.blog/2024/12/10/most-useful-developer-tools-2024/.
- ↑ "ngrok/LICENSE". https://github.com/inconshreveable/ngrok/blob/master/LICENSE.
- ↑ "ngrok raises $50M to help developers deploy apps and services". https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/13/ngrok-a-service-to-help-devs-deploy-sites-services-and-apps-raises-50m/.
- ↑ "Secure, scalable, frictionless access to web apps: Why Lightspeed invested in ngrok". https://lsvp.com/stories/secure-scalable-frictionless-access-to-web-apps-why-lightspeed-invested-in-ngrok/.
- ↑ "Security Model". https://ngrok.com/docs/security/.
- ↑ "Announcing the Microsoft Store Awards 2025 winners". https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2025/12/03/announcing-the-microsoft-store-awards-2025-winners/.
- ↑ McSwain, Daniel (2023). "Chapter 7: Local Development and Public Sharing". Modern DevOps Practices. Packt Publishing. ISBN 978-1803247824.
 |  |
