Local app, public access

As a developer, you’ve probably been here:

Your app runs perfectly on your machine at http://localhost:3000, but your customer can’t see it. 

To demo a feature, you normally have to build → deploy → wait → share a test server URL. This process is slow, stressful, and breaks the flow of live collaboration.

That’s where the ASD Tunnel comes in.

What is an ASD Tunnel?

An ASD Tunnel is a secure passage from your laptop to the outside world.

• Think of it as a temporary highway gate in your firewall.
• It makes your localhost app available on a public link, without complicated hosting.
• The access is controlled, temporary, and secure.

So instead of deploying code, you can give your customer a live preview in seconds.

Example of a tunnel link:

https://client-<TUNNEL_USER>.cicd.eu1.asd.engineer/

Step 1: Start a Local Web Server

Here are some quick commands for the most common languages and environments:

Python (3.x)

python3 -m http.server 8000

Runs a static file server on port 8000.

Node.js

npx http-server -p 8000

(or use your existing npm run dev script).

Bun

bun -e "import {serve} from 'bun'; serve({fetch: () => new Response('<h1>Hello ASD Tunnel</h1>'), port: 8000});"

Starts a simple Bun server responding with HTML.

Step 2: Expose It with ASD Tunnel

Now forward your local server to a public ASD endpoint.

On Linux/macOS/Windows

Note: on Windows you can use Git Bash (recommended) or PowerShell:

ssh -4 \
  -o PubkeyAuthentication=no \
  -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no \
  -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null \
  -o ExitOnForwardFailure=yes \
  -p 2223 \
  -R client-website-demo:80:localhost:8000 \
  <TUNNEL_USER>@cicd.eu1.asd.engineer

Once the tunnel is active, you’ll receive a public URL. Share it with your customer, and they can browse your local site as if it’s live on the internet.

Step 3: Enjoy Real-Time Feedback

With an ASD Tunnel, you bypass the whole “deploy and wait” cycle.

Without Tunnel

• Developer sees localhost:3000
• Customer can’t access it
• Deploy cycle takes ~15 minutes for each small change (with proper CICD in place)

With Tunnel

• Customer clicks on https://client-demo123.cicd.eu1.asd.engineer/
• Developer changes CSS → customer sees it live
• Feedback loop is seconds, not days

Customer Story: The Live Demo

During a product demo, a client asked:

"Can you move that button slightly to the right, and make it lighter? On my iPhone it looks different."

Normally this would mean:

1. Adjust code → build → deploy
2. Wait 10–15 minutes
3. Hope the customer sees what you intended

Instead, with an ASD Tunnel:

• Developer changed the CSS on their laptop
• Client refreshed the public tunnel link on their iPhone
• Both saw the fix instantly

The customer was impressed and not just with the product, but with the speed of collaboration.

Why Use ASD Tunnel?

1. Instant demos -> No deployment required
2. Real-time validation -> Client sees what you see
3. Cross-device testing -> Share the tunnel link and validate on mobile, tablet, or desktop
4. Developer-friendly -> Use the tools you already run locally

👉 Next time you need to demo your app, skip the stress of temporary servers. Launch a local web server, start an ASD Tunnel, and share your localhost with the world in seconds.

cicd.eu1 → online

Generate SSH reverse tunnel command (expose http://localhost:<port> over remote HTTPS)

> required Generate

>

HTTP

TCP

>

Linux

macOS

Windows

>

without sshpass

with sshpass

> Apply

Linux (without sshpass)

Copy Copy password

We will send your email to the token service to create a temporary tunnel credential.

Copied to clipboard.

Looking ahead

We understand that managing tunnels via raw ssh commands isn’t always the most convenient way of working. That’s why, in the coming months, we’ll be releasing ASD CLIF the ASD Command Line Interface Framework. With CLIF, developers will be able to manage tunnels effortlessly, and even perform production-ready deployments using tools like Caddy, all from a single streamlined CLI.