VSCode's Local Port Forwarding in 1.82.0

Ameya Pai — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 04:35:00 +0000

Many a times, our clients or our colleagues would like to test some feature which is still running in our local hands-on. In this scenario, I used a handy tool from ngrok called secure tunnels. This would help us in local port forwarding i.e. let's say your application is running at localhost:8081. Now through the local port forwarding tool, anyone can access your application using a url generated by ngrok. I have been using this for years.
Today, I saw a new feature ( at least I assume it is new ), in VSCode i.e. 'Local Port Forwarding'. It does the same thing which ngrok. Looks like VSCode may have unintentionally put a small dent in ngrok's business. However, I found some concerns with the service.

It took around 3-4 minutes at least for initial service to start. Why? ( Ngrok takes hardly 3-4 seconds )
Why did VSCode want to access my Github account? It actually registered into my Github account. ( Ngrok only needs me create an account with them and create an access token which needs to be submitted during first-time setup of app in the system )

Anyways, this needs investigation. If I have time, I will do it. However, I suggest that you guys use both the services to see their pros and cons.

If you find any concern, feel free to comment. Thank you.

DEV Community: Ameya Pai

VSCode's Local Port Forwarding in 1.82.0