FAQ

Generating an SSH key

If you don't have an SSH key yet:

bash

ssh-keygen -t ed25519

GitHub and GitLab have detailed guides. Then upload the public key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub) at the admin portal.

Permission denied (publickey)

Try plan as the SSH user:

bash

ssh -R example.com:80:localhost:8080 plan@localhost.run

Still failing? Email help@localhost.run.

I don't want to use an SSH key

Warning: custom domain subscriptions require an SSH key.

For free tunnels, skip the key check with the nokey user:

bash

ssh -R 80:localhost:8080 nokey@localhost.run

My free domain keeps changing

Free domains change after a few hours. To keep a name between connections, use an SSH key and don't use the nokey user.

My tunnel shows an error page

Check your app is reachable at http://localhost:{port} in your browser, and check the running SSH command's output for hints.

I can see requests to localhost:8080 when browsing my site thru localhost.run

Many frameworks build full URLs from the domain they think they run under — often localhost and their port. Search "your framework + reverse proxy" for the fix.

My connection keeps dropping

Usually the TCP connection was broken by timeouts or routing changes on the internet. Enable SSH keepalives:

bash

ssh -o ServerAliveInterval=60 -R 80:localhost:8080 localhost.run

SSH sends an empty packet after 60s of inactivity, which:

Wards off router idle timeouts.
Detects broken routes quickly so the command exits and you can recover.

For auto-healing, wrap ssh in a loop (with a sleep) or use autossh with the same options plus -M 0 — autossh's own monitoring doesn't work with localhost.run.

Cancel the existing subscription, if you still have access to the old account.
Set up the same domain in the new account.
Update the _lhr TXT record to the new domain ID.
Pay for the new subscription — remaining time is credited after the next step.
Email help@localhost.run to say you moved; the old subscription is cancelled and the new one credited.