Using Microsoft dev tunnels with command line
Microsoft announced dev tunnels with Visual Studio last year. However, did you know, you can use them independently with command line without requiring Visual Studio? In this post we take a look at the command line experience.
What are dev tunnels?
Dev tunnels allow you to access your local environment over the internet for testing. This is especially useful in verifying web hook integrations, public facing callbacks or just how your website would work over the internet.
Dev tunnels command line
Microsoft has made available a independent command line utility for Windows, macOS and Linux. This enables creating a dev tunnel without requiring Visual Studio or limiting to ASP.NET scenarios.
Installation
Below are direct download links for various platforms
| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| Windows (x64) | https://aka.ms/TunnelsCliDownload/win-x64 |
| macOS (arm64) | https://aka.ms/TunnelsCliDownload/osx-arm64-zip |
| macOS (x64) | https://aka.ms/TunnelsCliDownload/osx-x64-zip |
| Linux (x64) | https://aka.ms/TunnelsCliDownload/linux-x64 |
Login
Currently dev tunnels require you to login with a (default) Microsoft account (Work/AD/Personal) or GitHub accounts.
devtunnel user login
Use option -g for using GitHub login instead of Microsoft account.
Host a tunnel
The simplest option is to relay requests to a locally hosted web application or service.
For example, if you would like to host a locally running application at http://localhost:3000, then the equivalent command would be:
devtunnel host -p 3000
By default clients connecting to dev tunnels need to sign in with the same login account. This prevents accidental access to local running services.
If you would like to make the dev tunnel available to clients without any login restrictions, use the anonymous option
devtunnel host -p 3000 --allow-anonymous
The client url would typically be https://<tunnel_id>.<location/server>.devtunnels.ms. E.g. https://3m7vj87f.asse.devtunnels.ms
CLI Options
Here is the default command line output
Welcome to dev tunnels!
CLI version: 1.0.701+d0b5027c0b
By using the software, you agree to
- the dev tunnels License Terms: https://aka.ms/devtunnels/tos
- the Microsoft Privacy Statement: https://privacy.microsoft.com/privacystatement
Report issues on GitHub: https://aka.ms/devtunnels/issues
Use 'devtunnel --help' to see available commands or visit: https://aka.ms/devtunnels/docs
devtunnel
Dev Tunnels CLI
Usage:
devtunnel [options] [command]
Options:
-v, --verbose Enable verbose output
--version Show version information
-?, -h, --help Show help and usage information
Commands:
list List tunnels
show <tunnel-id-or-name> Show tunnel details
create Create a tunnel
update <tunnel-id-or-name> Update tunnel properties
delete <tunnel-id-or-name> Delete a tunnel
delete-all Delete all tunnels
token <tunnel-id-or-name> Issue tunnel access token
set <tunnel-id-or-name> Set default tunnel
unset Clear default tunnel
access Manage tunnel access control entries
user Manage user credentials
port Manage tunnel ports
host <tunnel-id-or-name> Host a tunnel, if tunnel ID or name is not specified a new tunnel will be created
connect <tunnel-id-or-name> Connect to an existing tunnel
limits List user limits
clusters List available service clusters by location
echo <protocol> Run a diagnostic echo server on a local port
ping <uri> Send diagnostic messages to a remote echo server
Additional options are available on the CLI reference docs
For any queries or feedback, please start a new discussion on GitHub Discussions or at Twitter @shubhan3009.
References
Photo Credit
Cover Photo by Ian Battaglia on Unsplash