An ngrok alternative when you just need to share an HTML file.
ngrok tunnels a public URL to a port on your laptop. If the artifact you're sharing is a finished HTML file rather than a live server, you don't need the tunnel — you need a host. Stacktree is the host.
What's the simplest alternative to ngrok for sharing one HTML file privately?
Stacktree. ngrok is the right tool for tunneling a live local server; it's the wrong tool when the thing you want to share is a static HTML file an agent or build just produced. Stacktree uploads the file to a private, unguessable URL in ~200 ms. No tunnel, no laptop-stays-on requirement, no local server to keep running.
When ngrok is the right tool
- You're developing locally and need a public URL to test webhooks.
- You're showing a teammate a live, evolving local app.
- You need traffic inspection or replay of live requests.
When ngrok is the wrong tool
- The artifact is a finished HTML file — there's nothing dynamic to tunnel to.
- You want the link to work after you close your laptop.
- You don't want to keep a local server running just to host one file.
- You want unguessable + email-gated access without setting up ngrok\'s OAuth/IP-whitelist controls.
The Stacktree alternative
Upload the HTML once. The agent calls publish_html via MCP, or you curl -F file=@artifact.html https://api.stacktr.ee/sites. You get back stacktr.ee/p/<token> — private, hosted on the edge, no laptop in the loop. Optional password, email-domain gate, expiry, or replace-in-place semantics all layer on with single tool calls.
Stacktree vs. ngrok — for the static-HTML case
| Criterion | ngrok | Stacktree |
|---|---|---|
| What it serves | Tunneled local port | Hosted static file |
| Requires local server running | Yes | No |
| URL survives laptop sleep | No | Yes |
| Private by default | Free tier is public; auth on paid plans | Unguessable URL on every plan |
| Email-domain gate | OAuth + per-user config | One tool call |
| Live request inspection | Yes | No |
| Webhook tunneling | Yes | No |
| Best for | Live local servers | Finished HTML artifacts |
Frequent questions
Why use Stacktree instead of ngrok for sharing an HTML file? +
Is ngrok bad for this? +
What about ngrok's static endpoints? +
Is the URL private? +
Can my agent publish without a tunnel? +
stacktree-mcp) lets Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and other MCP clients publish HTML directly. No tunnel, no port forwarding, no public hostname for your laptop.