What is publichost?

publichost is a Python package that creates public URLs for local web applications. Similar to ngrok, but requires no account or configuration.

When you're working on a web app locally and need to share it with someone or test it with HTTPS, publichost gives you a public URL that makes your localhost accessible over the internet.

The basic usage looks like this:

from publichost import Tunnel
tunnel = Tunnel(port=3000)
# Your app is now at https://x8k2p.publichost.dev

By default, publichost generates a random subdomain. If you want something more memorable, you can specify your own:

tunnel = Tunnel(port=3000, subdomain="my-cool-app")
# Your app is now at https://my-cool-app.publichost.dev

We use this internally with various Python web frameworks while developing our apps. The tunnel creates a secure HTTPS connection, making it useful for testing features that require HTTPS or sharing work-in-progress with team members.

Whether you're building a Flask app, working with FastAPI, or using Django, the process is the same – add the tunnel to your existing code and your local app becomes accessible through a public URL.