Private Connect

Zero-friction connectivity tools. No signup required.

Installation

npm i private-connect          # add to your project
npm i -g private-connect       # install globally

Run it: after a global install use private-connect; after a local install use npx private-connect. Or run without installing: npx private-connect <command>.

Quick Start

# Share your entire local environment with a teammate
npx private-connect up 3000 5432 6379
# → Prints: npx private-connect join abc123

# Teammate joins with one command
npx private-connect join abc123
# → All three ports available on their localhost. Done.

# Create a temporary public tunnel
npx private-connect tunnel 3000

# Test connectivity to any service
npx private-connect test db.internal:5432

Commands

up - Share your environment

npx private-connect up <port1> [port2] [port3] ...

Share multiple local services at once. Your teammate gets a single join code.

Examples:

npx private-connect up 3000                  # Share one service
npx private-connect up 3000 5432 6379        # Share app + Postgres + Redis

Output:

Private Connect - Share Environment
────────────────────────────────────

  Sharing 3 services:

    localhost:3000 → api.privateconnect.co:40001 (port 3000)
    localhost:5432 → api.privateconnect.co:40002 (PostgreSQL)
    localhost:6379 → api.privateconnect.co:40003 (Redis)

────────────────────────────────────

  Share this with your teammate:

    npx private-connect join k7m2p9

  Expires in 120 minutes

join - Connect to a shared environment

npx private-connect join <code>

Connect to a teammate's shared environment. All ports are forwarded to your localhost.

Example:

npx private-connect join k7m2p9

Output:

Private Connect - Join Environment
────────────────────────────────────

  Connecting to 3 services:

    localhost:3000 → port 3000
    localhost:5432 → PostgreSQL
    localhost:6379 → Redis

────────────────────────────────────

  Connected! Use these in your app:

    port 3000: localhost:3000
    PostgreSQL: localhost:5432
    Redis: localhost:6379

  Expires in 118 minutes

If a port is busy on the joiner's machine, it automatically picks a nearby available port.

test - Test connectivity

npx private-connect test <target>

Examples:

npx private-connect test db.internal:5432      # Database
npx private-connect test redis:6379            # Redis
npx private-connect test https://api.internal  # API

What it checks:

• TCP connection
• TLS/SSL (if applicable)
• HTTP response (for web services)
• Latency

tunnel - Create a temporary tunnel

npx private-connect tunnel <port>

Instantly expose a local service to the internet. No signup required.

Examples:

npx private-connect tunnel 3000              # Expose localhost:3000
npx private-connect tunnel localhost:8080    # Specify host and port
npx private-connect tunnel 3000 --slug myapp --ttl 1440   # Stable URL, 24h (no signup)

Stable URL and TTL: Use --slug <name> for a stable subdomain (e.g. https://myapp.privateconnect.co) when available, and --ttl <minutes> for longer sessions (default 120; server allows up to 24h).

Named subdomains: When you use a provider or app name, it becomes the subdomain prefix:

npx private-connect stripe 3000    # → https://stripe-a1b2.privateconnect.co
npx private-connect myapp 3000     # → https://myapp-f3d9.privateconnect.co
npx private-connect tunnel 3000    # → https://abc12345.privateconnect.co (random)

Output:

Private Connect - Temporary Tunnel
────────────────────────────────────

  Local:   localhost:3000
  Public:  https://stripe-a1b2.privateconnect.co
           Anyone can access this URL
  Inspector: https://privateconnect.co/debug/s-xyz789
           Live traffic monitoring & request replay
  Expires: 120 minutes

────────────────────────────────────

  Press Ctrl+C to stop

TCP/UDP Tunnels:

npx private-connect tunnel 5432 --tcp    # TCP tunnel (databases, etc.)
npx private-connect tunnel 27015 --udp   # UDP tunnel (game servers, etc.)

TCP/UDP output shows connection details:

  Local:   localhost:5432
  Public:  tcp://api.privateconnect.co:40001
  Connect: api.privateconnect.co:40001
  Expires: 120 minutes

Sharing:

• The public URL shows your actual website (like ngrok)
• Perfect for demos, testing, and sharing with teammates
• Works immediately - no landing page, just your app

Features:

• No signup or account required
• Sessions up to 24h with --ttl; stable URL with --slug
• Real-time request logging
• Works with HTTP, TCP, and UDP services
• Shareable URLs - The public URL shows your actual website, perfect for demos and testing

<provider> <port> - Webhook tunnel with provider setup

npx private-connect <provider> <port>

Create a tunnel and get provider-specific webhook setup instructions.

Known providers (with tailored instructions):

• polar — Polar webhooks
• stripe — Stripe webhooks
• github — GitHub webhooks
• shopify — Shopify webhooks

Any provider name works — unknown names get generic webhook guidance.

Examples:

npx private-connect polar 3000              # Polar webhooks → localhost:3000
npx private-connect stripe 3000             # Stripe webhooks → localhost:3000
npx private-connect github 8080             # GitHub webhooks → localhost:8080
npx private-connect myapp 3000              # Generic webhooks → localhost:3000

setup-openclaw - One-command OpenClaw setup

npx private-connect setup-openclaw

Quickly set up remote access to your OpenClaw (formerly Moltbot) gateway:

• Detects OpenClaw on localhost:18789
• Creates temporary tunnel for remote access
• Shows next steps for permanent setup

pair - Mobile pairing

npx private-connect pair

Generate a QR code to pair your mobile device for remote access.

list - List active tunnels

npx private-connect list

close - Close tunnels

npx private-connect close <tunnelId>
npx private-connect close --all

How Temporary Tunnels Work

┌──────────────┐        WebSocket        ┌─────────────────────┐        HTTPS        ┌─────────┐
│  Your Machine│◄───────────────────────►│  privateconnect.co  │◄────────────────────│ Internet│
│              │  (persistent connection) │  (Hub)              │  (TLS termination)  │         │
│  localhost:N │                          │                     │                     │         │
└──────────────┘                          └─────────────────────┘                     └─────────┘

1. You run npx private-connect tunnel 3000.
2. The CLI opens a WebSocket to the hub (api.privateconnect.co).
3. The hub assigns a public subdomain (e.g. abc12345.privateconnect.co) and handles TLS.
4. When a request arrives at the public URL, the hub forwards it over the WebSocket to your CLI.
5. Your CLI forwards it to localhost:3000 and sends the response back.

Key properties:

• No open ports — Your machine only makes outbound connections (WebSocket).
• Auto-reconnect — If the connection drops, the CLI reconnects automatically (up to 10 retries with backoff).
• No signup — Tunnels are ephemeral (2-hour TTL). No account required.
• End-to-end — Request bodies are forwarded in-memory over the WebSocket; nothing is stored on disk.
• TCP/UDP — For --tcp and --udp tunnels, the hub allocates a public port and relays raw packets the same way.

Installation Options

Quick (npx)

npx private-connect tunnel 3000

Full Install (with daemon)

curl -fsSL https://privateconnect.co/install.sh | bash
connect up

Automated/Non-interactive

# For scripts, CI/CD, or VM provisioning
curl -fsSL https://privateconnect.co/install.sh | bash -s -- \
  --non-interactive \
  --api-key=YOUR_KEY \
  --daemon

Options:

• --non-interactive - Skip all prompts
• --api-key=KEY - Set API key for authentication
• --daemon - Install and start background service
• --expose-openclaw - Expose OpenClaw gateway after install

Need more?

For permanent tunnels, sharing with teammates, and AI agent integration:

→ privateconnect.co