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VS Code extension

Share localhost from VS Code

Install the extension, connect your Localians account once, and share a running app with a secure HTTPS link without opening a terminal.

Install

From the Marketplace: coming soon. It will be available by searching for Localians in the Extensions view (publisher THINXIFY), with automatic updates.

From a .vsix file: the file, its version, supported VS Code versions and checksum are below, and on the extension page.

Available

Localians for VS Code 0.1.0

Free · Windows, macOS and Linux · installs in VS Code with Install from VSIX.

Download VSIX

40 KB, downloaded from this site. A GitHub Releases mirror follows.

Extension
Localians — Share Localhost
Version
0.1.0
Publisher
THINXIFY (thinxify.localians)
Requires
VS Code 1.90 or newer
File
localians-0.1.0.vsix · 40 KB

SHA-256 checksum

b9fc9fbe3677eedb546d6ca3c33df56d7914790b8c0c58a9df085f10995cded8

Install from VSIX

  1. Download
    Save localians-0.1.0.vsix with the Download VSIX button.
  2. Check it (recommended)
    Its SHA-256 must equal the checksum above.
    # Windows PowerShell
Get-FileHash .\localians-0.1.0.vsix -Algorithm SHA256

# macOS / Linux
shasum -a 256 localians-0.1.0.vsix
  3. Install from VSIX
    Open Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X, or Cmd+Shift+X on a Mac), click the … (Views and More Actions) menu at the top right, choose Install from VSIX… and select the file. Or run Extensions: Install from VSIX… from the Command Palette.
  4. Connect
    Open the Localians view in the activity bar and click Connect to Localians. Reload VS Code first if it asks you to.
About updates. An extension installed from a .vsix file does not receive automatic updates from the Marketplace by default. To update, download the newer .vsix and install it the same way (it replaces the old one). Once the extension is on the Marketplace, install it from there to get automatic updates.

It needs VS Code 1.90 or newer and a free Localians account. Nothing else: the extension includes the same tunnel client as the CLI.

Connect

Open the Localians view in the activity bar and click Connect to Localians. Your browser opens once so you can approve VS Code; the extension then stores a revocable token in VS Code's encrypted Secret Storage (never in settings, workspace files or logs). Revoke it any time in Settings → CLI on the dashboard; signing out revokes it too.

Share an app

  1. Start your app as usual (npm run dev, python manage.py runserver, …).
  2. Click it under Local apps, or run Localians: Share App. Apps are found on common development ports, plus the ports your workspace's frameworks use.
  3. Pick a project (the one that already uses that port is suggested, or create one named after your app).
  4. Choose who can open it: Public or Password protected.
  5. Choose how long the link works. The default is until the project's free 24-hour preview or its Preview Pass ends; you can stop sooner (5 minutes to 24 hours).

The link is copied to your clipboard once Localians confirms the tunnel is serving. Your previews stay listed in the sidebar with their status; copy, open, stop, add a password or share again from there, the status bar or the Command Palette. Closing the VS Code window stops the previews it started.

Free preview, Preview Pass and custom URLs

Plans work exactly as in the dashboard and the CLI, and Localians decides: each project has one free 24-hour preview window; if it is over, the extension tells you and links to the project's plan page, where a Preview Pass adds more days and a custom URL for that project. With a pass, shares use the project's custom URL automatically when it has one and custom URLs are enabled. See plans and pricing.

Password protection

Localians: Set Preview Password turns on protection or changes the password (at least 8 characters, stored hashed, never logged). Visitors enter it before they reach your app. Making a protected project public again is done in the dashboard, so a stolen token can't expose it.

Commands

  • Localians: Share App: Pick a running app and share it (also the status bar entry)
  • Localians: Stop Sharing: Stop a preview; its link stops working immediately
  • Localians: Copy Preview Link / Open Preview: For the current preview
  • Localians: Set Preview Password: Protect a preview, or change its password
  • Localians: Open Dashboard: Projects, analytics and every preview, in the browser
  • Localians: Connect to Localians / Sign Out / Switch Account: Account

Settings

  • localians.extraPorts: more local ports to look for apps on.
  • localians.hostHeader: rewrite (default) sends Host: localhost:<port>; preserve forwards the public host.
  • localians.verboseLog: log each forwarded request (method, path, status) to Output → Localians.
  • localians.serverUrl: only for a self-hosted Localians; HTTPS is required.

Troubleshooting

  • “Nothing is answering on localhost:<port>”: start your dev server first and check that the port opens in your browser. Use Enter a port… if it isn't listed.
  • Sharing is turned off in Restricted Mode: trust the workspace (Manage Workspace Trust) to share its apps.
  • “Your sign-in expired or was revoked”: click Connect Again. Revoking the computer in the dashboard ends its previews.
  • The free preview is over: open the plan page from the notification, or choose another project.
  • Anything else: Localians: Show Log shows what the extension did (tokens and passwords are never written to it); see Troubleshooting.

Back to the VS Code extension page