Step 1: Download and Install Ngrok
First, you'll need to download and install ngrok. You can do this by visiting the ngrok website at https://ngrok.com/download and selecting the appropriate version for your operating system. Once you've downloaded the installer, run it and follow the prompts to install ngrok.
Step 2: Start a Local Web Server
Next, you'll need to start a local web server on your machine. You can do this using any web server software of your choice, such as Apache or Nginx. For this tutorial, we'll use Python's built-in SimpleHTTPServer module.
Open up a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory where your web files are stored. For example, if your web files are stored in a directory called "myapp" on your desktop, you can navigate to it by typing:
cd ~/Desktop/myapp
Once you're in the correct directory, start the SimpleHTTPServer by typing:
python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8000
This will start a web server on port 8000.
Step 3: Start Ngrok
With your local web server running, you can now start ngrok. Open up a new terminal or command prompt window and navigate to the directory where ngrok is installed. For example, if you installed ngrok in your home directory, you can navigate to it by typing:
cd ~/ngrok
Once you're in the correct directory, start ngrok by typing:
./ngrok http 8000
This will start ngrok and expose your local web server to the internet.
Step 4: Test Your Web Application
With ngrok running, you can now test your web application by accessing it through the ngrok URL. The ngrok URL will be displayed in the terminal window where you started ngrok. It will look something like this:
http://d81cbed6.ngrok.io
Copy the ngrok URL and paste it into your web browser. You should see your web application running just as it would if it were hosted on a remote server.
Congratulations! You've successfully set up ngrok and exposed your local web server to the internet. You can now use this powerful tool to test your web applications and APIs during development.
I hope this tutorial helps you get started with ngrok. Good luck !