HF PanelDocsv1.0.0

Free links from the desktop app

Share a local site with a free HF Tunnel link from the HF Server desktop app, at https://name.port.hostfog.io, with no account.

The HF Server desktop app shares sites for free through HF Tunnel on port.hostfog.io. There is no account, sign-up or API token: click Share and the site gets a link like https://shop.port.hostfog.io.

Where: HF Server › Tunnel, or Share on the Sites page

Share a site

  1. In HF Server, click Share next to a site.
  2. Check the Link name (made from the site's name) and click Share.
  3. After a few seconds the site shows Live link and its address. Click Copy link.

Click Stop sharing to end it. Closing HF Server also stops every link.

Full steps: Sharing a site.

  • Each computer gets its own private device key the first time it shares. Its links belong to that key alone, so only that computer can use them.
  • The link stays the same every time you share the site with the same name.
  • The tunnel client is downloaded from the tunnel server the first time. Its SHA-256 checksum is checked against HF Server's signed download list and the server's own checksum before it is used.
  • The connection to the tunnel server is encrypted and the server's certificate is checked.
  • Requests that arrive through a tunnel are marked, so your local phpMyAdmin, phpinfo() and site list are never reachable from the internet.
  • A site can't be shared while MySQL's root user has no password.

Limits

The free service sets how many links one computer may have (shown as Links on this computer on the Tunnel page, 3 by default) and removes links that haven't been used for a while (60 days by default). See Limits.

Note: if the Tunnel page says free links are switched off, or that the service can't be reached, check your internet connection and try again later.

An HF Panel server with HF Tunnel switched on can offer the same free links to HF Server users: see Tunnels on your own server.