← Back to Forum
1
Getting Started

LocaltoNet local address setup, localhost or LAN IP if I don't know the port

Posted by Rachel • July 11, 2026

I'm brand new to this and just trying to share one small web app for testing. It opens in my browser on the same machine, but I can't tell if LocaltoNet wants localhost, 127.0.0.1, or my local network IP there, and I also don't know how to figure out the port if the app never really showed it. Short version, how do you confirm the exact host and port before making the tunnel?

Comments (4)

loganfernandez Jul 11, 2026

One small check that helps a lot: open the app, then look at the browser address bar exactly as loaded. If it says something like http://localhost:3000 or 127.0.0.1:8080, use that same host and port in LocaltoNet first, and only switch to your LAN address if the app is explicitly bound there.

prodriguez Jul 11, 2026

Use localhost if the app only needs to be reached from the same PC, LocaltoNet just needs whatever address the app is actually listening on and for a basic test that's usually localhost, not the LAN IP. If the browser tab opens without showing a port, check the server console or terminal where you started the app, that's usually where it prints "listening on 3000/5000/8000" or whatever.

evelyntech Jul 12, 2026

If the browser hides the port because it's just plain http://localhost/ or http://127.0.0.1/, try port 80 first in LocaltoNet, and 443 if it's loading as https. That's a super common beginner gotcha, the app is still on a port, it's just using the default one so the browser doesn't show it.

Rachel Jul 12, 2026

Yeah, I think this might be exactly why I got confused, my browser just shows http://localhost/ with no number. I'll try port 80 first in LocaltoNet, and if that doesn't connect, is there a simple way on Windows to confirm whether the app is actually on 80 vs 443 without digging through a bunch of logs?

×