ngrok

Name: ngrok
Brand: ngrok

Secure ingress and tunneling to connect local and production apps, APIs, and AI models.

softwareDeveloper Toolstunnelingwebhooksapi-gateway

What is ngrok?

ngrok is developer infrastructure that creates secure tunnels from the public internet to applications, APIs, and AI models running locally or in production. It is best known for instantly exposing a localhost server with a public URL, which makes it a common tool for testing webhooks, demoing work in progress, and connecting local MCP servers for AI development. Beyond simple tunneling, ngrok offers an API gateway with routing, load balancing, and observability, plus enterprise controls like SSO, RBAC, SCIM, and audit logs, and compliance with SOC2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA. Companies like GitHub, Microsoft, Databricks, and OpenAI are listed among its users.

SpecificationsAI-estimated

deploymentCloud/SaaS

api available✅ Yes

support optionsDocumentation, Email, Priority support (paid)

key integrationsDocker, GitHub, Slack, MCP servers

Key Features of ngrok

Creates a public URL for a local server in seconds, without configuring routers or firewalls.

Lets developers test and debug incoming webhooks against a local application during development.

Provides an AI Gateway that routes traffic between hosted and self-hosted models with failover and observability.

Supports custom domains, wildcard endpoints, and mutual TLS for production-grade traffic routing.

Includes enterprise controls such as SSO, RBAC, SCIM, and audit logs for regulated environments.

Connects local MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers so AI agents can reach locally running tools.

Meets SOC2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance requirements for enterprise customers.

Use Cases for ngrok

Webhook development

Expose a local server so third-party services can deliver webhooks during development and debugging.

Demoing local work

Share a running local application with a teammate or client via a temporary public URL.

AI agent and MCP connectivity

Route traffic to locally running MCP servers or AI models so agents can reach local tools.

API gateway for production traffic

Use ngrok's cloud edge to route, secure, and observe traffic to internal APIs and services.

Pros & Cons of ngrok

Pros

Extremely fast setup for exposing a local server publicly
Scales from free hobby use to enterprise-grade compliance and SSO
Useful beyond tunneling as an API gateway and traffic router
Widely adopted, with integrations across popular dev workflows

Cons

Free tier is limited to 3 endpoints and modest usage
Paid tiers add usage-based costs on top of the base subscription
Some advanced networking features require the higher-priced plans

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ngrok free to use?

Yes, ngrok has a free tier with limited endpoints and usage; paid plans remove most limits and add features like custom domains and SSO.

What is ngrok mainly used for?

It's most commonly used to expose a local development server to the internet, for example to test webhooks or demo work in progress.

Does ngrok support enterprise compliance requirements?

Yes, ngrok supports SOC2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance along with SSO, RBAC, and SCIM.

Can ngrok be used with AI agents?

Yes, ngrok can connect local MCP servers and route traffic to hosted or self-hosted AI models.

Pricing Overview

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Freemium

Free

Hobbyist

$8/month (billed annually)

Pay-as-you-go

$20/month + usage

Enterprise

Contact for Pricing

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