Team Development with LocalTunnel
LocalTunnel isn't just for individual development—it's also great for team collaboration. Here's how to use it effectively in team environments.
Team Use Cases
1. Code Reviews
Share your work-in-progress with team members for quick reviews.
2. Cross-Platform Testing
Let iOS developers test Android builds and vice versa.
3. Client Demos
Show features to stakeholders without deploying to staging.
4. Integration Testing
Test API integrations between different team members' services.
Best Practices for Teams
Naming Conventions
Use consistent subdomain naming:
# Format: [project]-[feature]-[developer]
lt --port 3000 --subdomain todoapp-auth-john
lt --port 4000 --subdomain todoapp-api-sarah
Environment Configuration
Create team-specific configurations:
// team-config.js
const config = {
john: 'https://todoapp-auth-john.loca.lt',
sarah: 'https://todoapp-api-sarah.loca.lt',
staging: 'https://staging.todoapp.com'
};
Documentation
Maintain a shared document with: - Active tunnel URLs - What each developer is working on - How to connect to different services
Coordination Strategies
1. Slack Integration
Create a bot that announces tunnel URLs:
// slack-bot.js
const { WebClient } = require('@slack/web-api');
async function announceTunnel(url, developer, feature) {
await slack.chat.postMessage({
channel: '#dev-tunnels',
text: `🚇 ${developer} started tunnel for ${feature}: ${url}`
});
}
2. Shared Configuration
Use environment files for team coordination:
# .env.team
JOHN_API_URL=https://todoapp-auth-john.loca.lt
SARAH_API_URL=https://todoapp-api-sarah.loca.lt
3. Service Discovery
Implement automatic service discovery:
const services = {
auth: process.env.AUTH_SERVICE || 'http://localhost:3001',
api: process.env.API_SERVICE || 'http://localhost:3002'
};
Security Considerations
Access Control
- Use subdomain naming to identify owners
- Implement basic authentication when needed
- Never expose sensitive data through tunnels
Data Protection
- Avoid using production data
- Use mock data for external demos
- Implement request logging for security audits
Team Workflow Example
Here's how our team uses LocalTunnel:
- Morning standup: Share tunnel URLs
- Development: Use consistent naming
- Code review: Share tunnel for testing
- Integration: Connect different services
- End of day: Document what's available
Tools and Scripts
Tunnel Manager Script
#!/bin/bash
# team-tunnel.sh
PROJECT="todoapp"
FEATURE=$1
DEVELOPER=$2
PORT=$3
SUBDOMAIN="${PROJECT}-${FEATURE}-${DEVELOPER}"
lt --port $PORT --subdomain $SUBDOMAIN
Usage:
./team-tunnel.sh auth john 3000
LocalTunnel makes team collaboration seamless and efficient!