> When your AI coding tool needs a callback URL, webhook endpoint, or public API for testing, a localhost tunnel gets you there in seconds.

**Author:** Localport Team | **Published:** 2026-03-10 | **Reading time:** 4 min read

**Tags:** ai, development, tutorial

---

# Using Localhost Tunnels for AI and Vibe Coding

If you're building with AI tools — Cursor, Bolt, v0, Replit Agent, or prompting Claude and ChatGPT to write code — you'll hit a point where your app needs to be reachable from the internet.

Maybe you're building a Slack bot that needs webhook events. Maybe your AI assistant generated an API and now you need to test it with a real client. Maybe you're setting up OAuth and need a legitimate callback URL.

Whatever the scenario: your app runs on localhost, and something external needs to reach it.

## The one-minute fix

```bash
# Install (once)
curl -fsSL https://get.localport.dev | sh

# Tunnel your app
localport tunnel --token YOUR_TOKEN --local localhost:3000
```

You get a URL like `https://abc123.tunnel.localport.dev`. Use it wherever you need a public endpoint.

## Common scenarios

### Testing webhooks in your AI-generated app

You asked Cursor to build a Stripe integration. It generated the webhook handler at `/api/webhooks/stripe`. Now you need Stripe to actually send webhooks there.

```bash
localport tunnel --token YOUR_TOKEN --local localhost:3000
# Copy https://abc123.tunnel.localport.dev/api/webhooks/stripe into Stripe dashboard
```

### OAuth callback URLs

Your AI tool generated a login flow with Google OAuth. Google needs a redirect URI that's a real URL, not `localhost`.

Use your tunnel URL: `https://abc123.tunnel.localport.dev/auth/callback`

### Sharing your prototype

You're building something fast with v0 or Bolt. You want someone to see it before you deploy. Tunnel it and send the link — they see your running app in real time.

### API testing across devices

Your AI wrote a REST API. You want to test it from your phone, from Postman on another machine, or from a serverless function. The tunnel URL works from anywhere.

## No devops required

The whole point of vibe coding is moving fast. You don't want to set up a cloud server, configure a reverse proxy, or manage DNS records. You want a URL that points to your local machine, right now.

Localport gives you that in one command. When you're done, Ctrl+C and the URL disappears.

> [!TIP] Works with any framework
> Localport doesn't care what generated your code or what framework it uses. If it listens on a port, Localport can tunnel it — Next.js, FastAPI, Express, Django, Rails, or anything else.

## It's free

The free tier includes HTTP, TCP, and TLS tunnels. No credit card, no trial expiration. Build first, upgrade if you need team features or custom domains.

[Get started →](https://dashboard.localport.io/auth/login?mode=signup)