gohere

Tiny local dev URL launcher for .localhost projects.

https://myproject.localhost

Run gohere inside a package project, workspace root, or static folder. It starts or serves the project on a hidden local port, routes a clean .localhost hostname to it, and prints the URL.

No script edits. No port memorization. No repo config.

Global install is recommended:

npm i -g gohere

Or install the Go CLI directly:

go install github.com/roie/gohere/cmd/gohere@latest

Install the npm package in WSL and run gohere normally. You do not need to install the npm package again in PowerShell. The WSL package includes a version-matched Windows companion that installs or reuses one Windows router for the current Windows user.

Initial WSL setup stays in the same WSL shell. It may request sudo once to allow the loopback edge to use ports 80/443 and to trust the Windows router's public CA certificate in Linux. Windows also shows its standard one-time security confirmation before trusting gohere local development CA; approve only that certificate. It does not add a Windows firewall rule, copy the Windows admin token into WSL, or start a second WSL router.

Mirrored networking uses the verified Windows loopback router directly. Separate-loopback/NAT networking uses a loopback-only WSL edge over a persistent Windows stdio helper. Windows still owns the router, routes, admin token, and CA private key; WSL owns only its Linux project processes and edge.

A WSL binary installed with go install can reuse a compatible gohere.exe already available on the Windows PATH, but it cannot bootstrap Windows by downloading another binary. Use the npm distribution for WSL-first installation.

gohere supports package projects, workspace roots, and static files.

Run the default command:

gohere

In a package project, this runs the nearest package.json dev script. In a workspace root with child packages that have dev scripts, this starts each matching package and gives each package its own route:

gohere web    -> https://web.myrepo.localhost
gohere worker -> https://worker.myrepo.localhost

If workspace metadata exists but no child package has a dev script, gohere falls back to the current package's dev script. If there is no package script and the folder has index.html, gohere serves it as a static site.

Run a named package script:

gohere dev:web

Run multiple server scripts:

gohere dev:web dev:api

Planned external servers receive HOST, PORT, and GOHERE_URL before startup. GOHERE_URL is the current service's final collision-safe public URL.

When one run starts multiple services, every child receives the same self-inclusive service map:

GOHERE_WEB_URL=https://web.myrepo.localhost
GOHERE_WEB_TARGET=http://127.0.0.1:48101
GOHERE_WEB_PORT=48101

GOHERE_API_URL=https://api.myrepo.localhost
GOHERE_API_TARGET=http://127.0.0.1:48102
GOHERE_API_PORT=48102

Use GOHERE_<NAME>_URL for application configuration. TARGET is the exact direct upstream stored in the route, including the Windows-reachable endpoint in WSL. PORT is parsed from that exact target. Each child also receives its own GOHERE_URL, HOST, and PORT.

Static folders and files launch no external child, so they receive no runtime environment. Explicit task-like scripts such as build, lint, and test, plus raw commands without routing options, start lazily without router setup or a guessed GOHERE_URL. If a lazy command later exposes a server, gohere registers it and prints the final URL, but the already-running child is not retroactively modified.

Run any current package script exactly as written by naming it explicitly:

gohere dev
gohere build
gohere preview

Run an explicit filesystem target:

gohere ./dist
gohere ./apps/web

Auto-refresh static pages while editing:

gohere --live

Run a raw command:

gohere -- npm run dev

Use a custom .localhost name for this run:

gohere --as api

Route to a known target port:

gohere --target 5173 -- npm run dev

Use --http when a route must stay on HTTP. It makes HTTP the advertised and canonical scheme for that route and disables automatic HTTP upgrading; the shared HTTPS listener remains available.

Use a custom port flag for tools that do not use --port:

gohere --port-flag --local-port dev

Open the project URL in your browser:

gohere --open

Expose one project to devices on the same trusted Wi-Fi network:

gohere --share=lan

Gohere keeps the normal .localhost URL and adds a private HTTPS .local URL:

gohere → https://myapp.localhost
lan    → https://myapp.local

LAN sharing selects one safe private IPv4 interface and fails closed on ambiguous, virtual, VPN, unsafe, or Windows Public-profile networks. Only the selected active route is exposed; unrelated .localhost routes and the admin API remain loopback-only. Multi-project LAN sharing is not supported in one command.

The terminal also shows a setup URL and QR for devices that do not yet trust the gohere installation CA. The QR opens a device-specific setup page. Verify the displayed fingerprint before installing the certificate, and only install it on devices you control.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the setup URL in Safari. Chrome's secure-connections setting may upgrade and block the initial HTTP bootstrap URL.
2. Install the downloaded profile under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management.
3. Enable the CA under Settings → General → About → Certificate Trust Settings.

On Android, download the root certificate, search Settings for Install a certificate, and install it as a CA certificate. Exact Settings names vary by manufacturer.

After one-time trust setup, scan the QR again or open the persistent LAN URL. Short-lived LAN leaf certificates are held in memory and rotate automatically. When sharing is configured, gohere list adds a share column: lan: <URL> means LAN sharing is active, lan: unavailable means it is configured but unusable, and — means it is not configured for that route. The column is hidden when no listed route has sharing configured. Setup tokens, QR data, fingerprints, firewall state, and internal lifecycle state are never displayed.

Windows LAN sharing requires the selected network profile to be Private. The first share may show a Windows Firewall approval prompt. In WSL, the Windows gohere authority owns the LAN listeners, certificate, mDNS responder, and firewall rules.

For static folders, gohere serves index.html. You can also open a specific file, for example gohere about.html, which routes to https://myproject.localhost/about.html.

CSS, images, and scripts are served normally.

myproject      -> https://myproject.localhost
@scope/web     -> https://web.localhost
./apps/web     -> https://web.repo.localhost
./dist         -> https://dist.localhost
about.html     -> https://myproject.localhost/about.html

gohere list
gohere list --verbose
gohere list --json
gohere stop
gohere stop web
gohere stop --all
gohere prune
gohere doctor
gohere service stop
gohere uninstall

gohere list --verbose begins with the same summary table, then shows per-route working directory, mode, source, owner, PID, and start time in indented detail blocks. Missing metadata is displayed as —.

gohere list --json returns the same route snapshot in a stable machine-readable format, including route id, generation, lifecycle state, service, preferred public URL, exact target, and parsed port.

gohere stop stops routes for the current folder. gohere stop <target> stops a listed route by host, short host label, route name, or project name. gohere stop --all stops safely controllable routes and skips unverified live routes.

Route status can be starting, ready, dead, or unknown. prune removes routes that are confidently dead or whose reservation/lease has expired.

Stop the background service without removing gohere:

gohere service stop

Clean up the copied service binary before removing the npm package:

gohere uninstall
npm uninstall -g gohere

gohere uninstall removes the local service install and asks before deleting routes, logs, and token state.

gohere runs one local service on HTTP port 80 and HTTPS port 443.

HTTP requests to HTTPS routes receive a temporary upgrade. Cross-origin requests that require preflight must target https:// directly, and WebSocket clients must target wss:// directly.

Each project gets a hidden local port. The service maps the clean .localhost hostname to that port using the request Host header.

First-time setup installs the local service in ~/.gohere/, installs a local trusted certificate authority, and starts the service in the background. After that, gohere only starts your project and registers its route.

The service only serves local machine traffic. On macOS, gohere uses a port 80 listener that rejects non-loopback connections before requests reach the router.

State is stored in:

~/.gohere/

Linux may ask for one-time permission to bind local ports and trust the local certificate authority.

When used from WSL2, gohere installs or reuses the current user's Windows authority automatically. Normal setup and recovery do not require switching to PowerShell.

• Linux / WSL
• Windows
• macOS (experimental)

The npm package includes x64 and arm64 binaries for these platforms.

• .localhost only
• HTTPS uses a local trusted certificate authority
• HTTP remains available with --http
• no LAN sharing
• no custom TLDs
• no project config files
• no browser auto-open by default
• WSL1 is not supported
• the first WSL2 release permits one active integrated distribution/Linux user per Windows authority

Apache-2.0