Expose a WebSocket app

Forward HTTP and WebSocket traffic to a local realtime app.

Turbotunnel forwards public WebSocket upgrades through the same tunnel as HTTP. Use it for chat, collaborative editors, live dashboards, and notification streams during development.

Open a realtime tunnel

Start a named tunnel to your local port:

tt http 3000 --slug chat-dev

Connect browsers or clients to the printed public URL. The same host serves ordinary HTTP routes and WebSocket upgrades.

With project configuration:

tt dev chat -- pnpm --filter chat dev

Check WebSocket compatibility

Confirm these behaviors before you rely on the tunnel:

• The tunnel forwards bidirectional text and binary frames
• The gateway and local process close the WebSocket in both directions
• Public WebSocket subprotocol negotiation is not supported; upgrade requests that include Sec-WebSocket-Protocol receive HTTP 400
• While the local app is unavailable, WebSocket connections close with code 1011; reconnect after the app starts

Stay inside connection limits

These caps apply to public WebSocket traffic:

Excess public WebSocket connections close with code 1013. See Turbotunnel limits for the full table.

Related docs

• tt http
• How it works
• Troubleshoot failures