Forward a port
A port forward sends connections made to a port on one machine through the SSH tunnel to a service on the other. You reach the service without exposing it to the network.
Local and remote forwards
| Type | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Local | A port on this computer reaches the peer | Open a dev server running on the other machine in this computer's browser |
| Remote | A port on the peer reaches this computer | Let the other machine use a database running here |
"Peer" is the paired machine at the other end.
Forward a common port at once
On the machine card, open More and select Port forwards. In an open session, press Ctrl + 3.
Choose Local or Remote.
Select one of the ready-made ports, such as Node / React, Vite, Angular, Django / http.server or PostgreSQL.
The forward starts at once.
For a local forward of a web server, open http://localhost:<port> in this computer's browser.
Add a custom forward
Select Add forward.
Choose Local (-L) or Remote (-R).
Optionally enter a Name.
Under Listen on this computer (or Listen on the peer, for a remote forward), enter the Address and Port that accept connections.
Under Forward to, enter the Host and Port of the service, as seen from the other end of the tunnel.
Select Add and start.
Ports must be between 1 and 65535, and a port can be forwarded only once.
Manage forwards
Each forward shows Running, Starting, Error or Stopped. Open More on a forward for Edit, Duplicate and Delete.
WARNING
The listening address decides who can use a forward. An address that only this computer can reach keeps the forward private; an address other computers can reach opens the forwarded service to them as well.