Get started with PortLark

PortLark gives a service running on your computer a public HTTPS address, without opening ports on your router or firewall. This guide takes you from a new account to a working public URL in a few minutes.

Before you begin

• A service running locally, for example a development server on 127.0.0.1:3000. Check that it responds before you start: curl -I http://127.0.0.1:3000.
• A computer that can make outbound HTTPS connections. The PortLark client must run on the same machine as your service, or on a machine in the same network that can reach it.

1. Create your account

Sign up at https://portlark.com/signup and open the verification link we email you. The link is valid for 24 hours. If it does not arrive, check your spam folder or contact support@portlark.com.

2. Create a tunnel

In the dashboard, choose New tunnel:

Field	What to enter
Type	HTTP. TCP is available after approval, see Approved TCP access.
Subdomain	3–31 lowercase letters, numbers or hyphens. Your public URL becomes https://<subdomain>.tunnel.portlark.com.
Local address	The host:port of your service, for example 127.0.0.1:3000.

Creating your first tunnel starts your 30-day free trial, if you have not already activated it under Your access.

3. Install the CLI

Download the client for your operating system from https://portlark.com/downloads, or use an installer script. The installers detect your architecture and verify the SHA256 checksum before installing.

Windows (PowerShell):

$installer = Join-Path $env:TEMP 'install-portlark.ps1'
Invoke-WebRequest https://portlark.com/download/install-portlark.ps1 -OutFile $installer
& $installer

macOS and Linux:

curl -fL https://portlark.com/download/install-portlark.sh -o /tmp/install-portlark.sh
sh /tmp/install-portlark.sh

The CLI is installed to %LOCALAPPDATA%\PortLark\bin\portlark.exe on Windows and ~/.local/bin/portlark on macOS and Linux. The installers do not change your PATH; use the full path or add the folder to your PATH. See the CLI reference for details.

4. Connect

portlark setup

setup asks for your PortLark email and password, lets you pick the tunnel you created (or create a new one), saves a client token on this computer, and offers to connect right away. After that, start your tunnels with:

portlark connect

The client prints the public URL of each tunnel. Keep it running while you need the tunnel; press Ctrl+C to stop.

Prefer to let an AI coding agent do this for you? See Connect with your Agent.

5. Open the public URL

Open the public URL in a browser. If it does not load, see Troubleshooting.

Your trial and paid plans

New accounts get a 30-day free trial with one tunnel. No credit card is required, and nothing is charged when the trial ends: your tunnel simply stops accepting connections. To keep using PortLark, choose a monthly plan in Dashboard → Plans and billing. See Plans and billing and https://portlark.com/pricing.

Protect your local application

Anyone who knows the public URL can reach your application. Use authentication for anything private. HTTPS is terminated at the PortLark edge; add application-level protection for sensitive services, and never expose an admin panel or database without a password.