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| 1 | +# fxTunnel — Secure Localhost Tunneling Service (Full Reference) |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +> fxTunnel is a reverse tunneling platform that exposes local services to the internet via HTTP subdomains, TCP ports, or UDP ports. Built in Go with yamux-based stream multiplexing. Open-source, self-hostable, with native GUI and CLI clients. No bandwidth limits, no session timeouts. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## Product Overview |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +fxTunnel solves the problem of exposing local development services to the public internet. Unlike competitors, it offers: |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +1. **Full protocol support**: HTTP, TCP, and UDP tunnels (most competitors only support HTTP+TCP) |
| 10 | +2. **Native desktop GUI**: Wails-based app for Windows, macOS, Linux — the only tunneling service with a desktop client |
| 11 | +3. **Free custom subdomains**: Choose any subdomain on free plan (e.g. myapp.fxtun.dev) |
| 12 | +4. **Traffic Inspector**: Built-in HTTP request/response debugger with replay capability |
| 13 | +5. **No limits**: No bandwidth caps, no request limits, no session timeouts on any plan |
| 14 | +6. **Self-hostable**: Deploy your own tunneling server with the open-source codebase |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +## Technical Architecture |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +- **Server**: Go 1.24, Chi HTTP router, SQLite database |
| 19 | +- **Tunneling protocol**: yamux stream multiplexing over TLS 1.3 |
| 20 | +- **Client**: Go CLI + Wails GUI (Vue 3 frontend) |
| 21 | +- **Web UI**: Vue 3 + Vite SPA with SSG |
| 22 | +- **Deployment**: Docker + docker-compose, nginx reverse proxy |
| 23 | +- **Payments**: YooKassa/Robokassa integration |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +### How Tunneling Works |
| 26 | +1. Client establishes TLS 1.3 connection to server |
| 27 | +2. Server assigns subdomain (HTTP) or port (TCP/UDP) |
| 28 | +3. Incoming requests are multiplexed via yamux streams to client |
| 29 | +4. Client forwards to local service and returns response |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +## Pricing Plans |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +| Plan | Price | Tunnels | Reserved Subdomains | Custom Domains | Inspector | |
| 34 | +|------|-------|---------|--------------------|-|-----------| |
| 35 | +| Free | $0 | 3 | 0 (any available) | 0 | No | |
| 36 | +| Base | $5/mo | 5 | 5 | 1 | Yes | |
| 37 | +| Pro | $10/mo | 15 | 15 | 5 | Yes | |
| 38 | +| Business | $15/mo | 50 | 50 | 50 | Yes | |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +All plans include: no bandwidth limits, no request limits, no session timeout, HTTP+TCP+UDP support. |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +## Competitive Comparison |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +### vs ngrok |
| 45 | +- fxTunnel has no session timeout (ngrok free: 2 hours) |
| 46 | +- fxTunnel allows custom subdomains on free plan (ngrok: random URLs) |
| 47 | +- fxTunnel has no request limits (ngrok free: 20k/month) |
| 48 | +- fxTunnel supports UDP tunnels (ngrok: HTTP+TCP only) |
| 49 | +- fxTunnel has desktop GUI client (ngrok: CLI only) |
| 50 | +- fxTunnel is self-hostable and open-source (ngrok: proprietary) |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +### vs Cloudflare Tunnel |
| 53 | +- fxTunnel supports TCP and UDP (Cloudflare: HTTP only via cloudflared) |
| 54 | +- fxTunnel has simpler setup (no Cloudflare account/domain required) |
| 55 | +- fxTunnel has traffic inspector (Cloudflare: no built-in inspector) |
| 56 | +- fxTunnel has desktop GUI (Cloudflare: CLI only) |
| 57 | +- Cloudflare has edge network advantage for global latency |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +### vs Bore / LocalTunnel |
| 60 | +- fxTunnel supports HTTP+TCP+UDP (Bore: TCP only, LocalTunnel: HTTP only) |
| 61 | +- fxTunnel has traffic inspector (neither Bore nor LocalTunnel have one) |
| 62 | +- fxTunnel has desktop GUI (neither have one) |
| 63 | +- fxTunnel has reserved subdomains (LocalTunnel: random, Bore: none) |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +## Use Cases |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +1. **Webhook development**: Test Stripe, GitHub, Telegram webhooks against localhost |
| 68 | +2. **Client demos**: Share localhost projects without deploying — React, Vue, Next.js, FastAPI |
| 69 | +3. **Mobile testing**: Test iOS/Android apps against local backend on real devices |
| 70 | +4. **IoT connectivity**: Remote access to Raspberry Pi, ESP32, MQTT brokers |
| 71 | +5. **CI/CD previews**: Create preview environments per pull request with GitHub Actions |
| 72 | +6. **Docker access**: Expose containers without port forwarding |
| 73 | +7. **Game servers**: Host UDP game servers from home network |
| 74 | +8. **SSH access**: Reach machines behind NAT/firewalls via TCP tunnel |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +## Quick Start |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +```bash |
| 79 | +# Install CLI |
| 80 | +curl -sSL https://fxtun.dev/install.sh | bash |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +# HTTP tunnel (port 3000 → https://myapp.fxtun.dev) |
| 83 | +fxtunnel http 3000 --subdomain myapp |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +# TCP tunnel (port 5432 → tcp://fxtun.dev:PORT) |
| 86 | +fxtunnel tcp 5432 |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +# UDP tunnel (port 27015 → udp://fxtun.dev:PORT) |
| 89 | +fxtunnel udp 27015 |
| 90 | +``` |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +## Links |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +- Website: https://fxtun.dev |
| 95 | +- GitHub: https://github.com/mephistofox/fxTunnel |
| 96 | +- Downloads: https://fxtun.dev/#download |
| 97 | +- Blog (RU): https://fxtun.dev/blog/ |
| 98 | +- Blog (EN): https://fxtun.dev/blog/en/ |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | +## Blog Articles (Full List) |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +### Fundamentals |
| 103 | +- [What is tunneling](https://fxtun.dev/blog/what-is-tunneling/): Comprehensive guide to tunneling concepts, 5 real-world use cases, comparison table with alternatives, and fxTunnel quick start. Includes FAQ: safety, production use, VPN differences. |
| 104 | +- [TCP and UDP tunneling explained](https://fxtun.dev/blog/tcp-udp-tunneling-explained/): Deep protocol dive covering multiplexing, connection lifecycle, NAT traversal, UDP encapsulation in TCP. Practical examples for databases, SSH, Redis, game servers, DNS, VoIP. |
| 105 | +- [TLS 1.3 in tunneling](https://fxtun.dev/blog/tls-13-tunnel-security/): Why TLS 1.3 matters for tunnel security, comparison with TLS 1.2, handshake optimization, fxTunnel Go implementation details, 7 security best practices. |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +### Architecture |
| 108 | +- [fxTunnel architecture](https://fxtun.dev/blog/fxtunnel-architecture/): Client-server model, yamux multiplexing, Go implementation, TLS 1.3 security, protocol support (HTTP/TCP/UDP), performance benchmarks, SaaS pricing, open-source contribution guide. |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +### Tool Comparisons |
| 111 | +- [ngrok vs Cloudflare vs fxTunnel](https://fxtun.dev/blog/ngrok-vs-cloudflare-vs-fxtunnel/): Detailed 2026 comparison across 8 criteria, security analysis, cost comparison for 6 scenarios, performance benchmarks, decision matrix. |
| 112 | +- [Best tunneling tools 2026](https://fxtun.dev/blog/best-tunneling-tools-2026/): Rating of fxTunnel, Cloudflare Tunnel, ngrok, LocalTunnel, Bore across 9 criteria. Decision matrix for 8 scenarios, pricing comparison. |
| 113 | +- [Free ngrok alternatives 2026](https://fxtun.dev/blog/free-ngrok-alternatives-2026/): 6 alternatives (fxTunnel, Cloudflare, LocalTunnel, Bore, Telebit, zrok) without rate limits. Migration guide from ngrok to fxTunnel. |
| 114 | +- [Bore vs fxTunnel vs LocalTunnel](https://fxtun.dev/blog/bore-vs-fxtunnel-vs-localtunnel/): Open-source tunnel comparison covering protocols, HTTPS, inspector, self-hosting, security, community activity. |
| 115 | +- [SSH tunnel vs modern tools](https://fxtun.dev/blog/ssh-tunnel-vs-modern-tools/): SSH limitations, when to keep SSH, when to switch. Migration guide with command comparisons for 4 scenarios. |
| 116 | +- [Reverse proxy vs tunnel](https://fxtun.dev/blog/reverse-proxy-vs-tunnel/): Architecture comparison with diagrams. When to use nginx/Caddy vs tunnels. Combined approaches for production. |
| 117 | + |
| 118 | +### How-To Guides |
| 119 | +- [Expose localhost to internet](https://fxtun.dev/blog/expose-localhost-to-internet/): 5 methods compared — tunnels, port forwarding, reverse proxy, VPS, cloud services. Security best practices, troubleshooting. |
| 120 | +- [HTTPS on localhost](https://fxtun.dev/blog/https-localhost-development/): 3 methods — fxTunnel auto TLS, mkcert, self-signed certificates. Setup for Node.js, Vite, Next.js. Common errors and fixes. |
| 121 | +- [Webhook testing with tunnel](https://fxtun.dev/blog/webhook-testing-with-tunnel/): Stripe, GitHub, Telegram webhook testing with signature verification code. Troubleshooting table for 7 common problems. |
| 122 | +- [Docker + tunnel](https://fxtun.dev/blog/docker-tunnel-expose-containers/): Expose containers without port forwarding. On-host and in-container approaches. Ready-made docker-compose templates for HTTP, TCP, microservices. |
| 123 | +- [Demo localhost without deploy](https://fxtun.dev/blog/demo-localhost-without-deploy/): Share projects with React, Vue, Next.js, Nuxt, Vite, Express, FastAPI. Freelancer checklist, team collaboration workflows. |
| 124 | + |
| 125 | +### Platform-Specific |
| 126 | +- [Mobile app testing](https://fxtun.dev/blog/mobile-app-testing-tunnel/): iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), React Native, Flutter setup. Push notifications, certificate pinning, inspector for mobile API debugging. |
| 127 | +- [CI/CD preview environments](https://fxtun.dev/blog/cicd-tunnel-preview-environments/): GitHub Actions and GitLab CI workflows. Docker Compose for full-stack previews. Auto-cleanup on PR close. Cost comparison. |
| 128 | +- [IoT tunnel](https://fxtun.dev/blog/iot-tunnel-devices-cloud/): Raspberry Pi remote access, MQTT over tunnel, ESP32 web server, Grafana/Node-RED dashboards. Systemd auto-startup configuration. |
| 129 | + |
| 130 | +### Developer Tools |
| 131 | +- [Traffic Inspector](https://fxtun.dev/blog/traffic-inspector-debug-requests/): Real-time HTTP debugging, request replay, filtering. Comparison with Postman, Charles, Fiddler, mitmproxy. Debug workflow. |
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