| 1 | --- |
| 2 | title: Getting Started |
| 3 | description: Install Portal and expose your first local service to the internet. |
| 4 | --- |
| 5 | |
| 6 | # Getting Started |
| 7 | |
| 8 | This guide installs the `portal` CLI and exposes a local service through a |
| 9 | public relay. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | ## Prerequisites |
| 12 | |
| 13 | - macOS, Linux, or Windows |
| 14 | - Internet connectivity |
| 15 | - A local service to expose, such as a web app on port `3000` |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ## Install The CLI |
| 18 | |
| 19 | ### macOS / Linux |
| 20 | |
| 21 | ```bash |
| 22 | curl -fsSL https://github.com/gosuda/portal-tunnel/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bash |
| 23 | ``` |
| 24 | |
| 25 | ### Windows PowerShell |
| 26 | |
| 27 | ```powershell |
| 28 | $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue' |
| 29 | irm https://github.com/gosuda/portal-tunnel/releases/latest/download/install.ps1 | iex |
| 30 | ``` |
| 31 | |
| 32 | The installer downloads the `portal` binary and adds it to your `PATH`. It does |
| 33 | not create a config file. Portal works out of the box because relay discovery is |
| 34 | enabled by default. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | ## Expose Your First App |
| 37 | |
| 38 | Start your local app, then run: |
| 39 | |
| 40 | ```bash |
| 41 | portal expose 3000 |
| 42 | ``` |
| 43 | |
| 44 | Portal accepts: |
| 45 | |
| 46 | | Input | Example | Meaning | |
| 47 | |-------|---------|---------| |
| 48 | | Bare port | `3000` | `127.0.0.1:3000` | |
| 49 | | Host and port | `localhost:8080` | that exact local address | |
| 50 | | URL host | `http://127.0.0.1:3000` | parsed as `127.0.0.1:3000` | |
| 51 | |
| 52 | Portal prints a public HTTPS URL: |
| 53 | |
| 54 | ```text |
| 55 | https://your-name.relay.example.com |
| 56 | ``` |
| 57 | |
| 58 | Open the URL in a browser. The relay routes the connection, but tenant TLS |
| 59 | terminates in the tunnel process running on your machine. |
| 60 | |
| 61 | ## What Happened |
| 62 | |
| 63 | When you ran `portal expose`: |
| 64 | |
| 65 | 1. Portal loaded or created a local identity at `identity.json`. |
| 66 | 2. Portal selected relay URLs from the public registry and discovery. |
| 67 | 3. The tunnel process registered a lease with one or more relays. |
| 68 | 4. The tunnel process opened reverse sessions to those relays. |
| 69 | 5. A public HTTPS hostname was assigned. |
| 70 | 6. Incoming connections were routed by the relay and handled by your tunnel |
| 71 | process. |
| 72 | |
| 73 | The relay provides routing and keyless certificate signing, but it does not |
| 74 | receive tenant TLS session keys on the default stream path. |
| 75 | |
| 76 | ## Choose The Right Mode |
| 77 | |
| 78 | Most web apps use the default stream mode: |
| 79 | |
| 80 | ```bash |
| 81 | portal expose 3000 --name myapp |
| 82 | ``` |
| 83 | |
| 84 | Use routed HTTP mode when one public URL should mount multiple local HTTP |
| 85 | services: |
| 86 | |
| 87 | ```bash |
| 88 | portal expose --name myapp \ |
| 89 | --http-route /api=http://127.0.0.1:3001 \ |
| 90 | --http-route /=http://127.0.0.1:5173 |
| 91 | ``` |
| 92 | |
| 93 | Use dedicated raw TCP mode for non-HTTP servers such as Minecraft: |
| 94 | |
| 95 | ```bash |
| 96 | portal expose localhost:25565 --name minecraft --tcp |
| 97 | ``` |
| 98 | |
| 99 | Use UDP mode for datagram services: |
| 100 | |
| 101 | ```bash |
| 102 | portal expose localhost:8080 --udp --udp-addr localhost:19132 --name game |
| 103 | ``` |
| 104 | |
| 105 | ## Use A Specific Relay |
| 106 | |
| 107 | ```bash |
| 108 | portal expose 3000 --relays https://portal.example.com --discovery=false |
| 109 | ``` |
| 110 | |
| 111 | `--discovery=false` limits the tunnel to the explicit relay URLs you supplied. |
| 112 | |
| 113 | ## Keep A Stable Identity |
| 114 | |
| 115 | By default, Portal writes `identity.json` in the current working directory. Use a |
| 116 | fixed path when you want stable identity across projects or restarts: |
| 117 | |
| 118 | ```bash |
| 119 | portal expose 3000 \ |
| 120 | --name myapp \ |
| 121 | --identity-path ~/.config/portal/myapp.identity.json |
| 122 | ``` |
| 123 | |
| 124 | ## Update The CLI |
| 125 | |
| 126 | ```bash |
| 127 | portal update |
| 128 | portal version |
| 129 | ``` |
| 130 | |
| 131 | `portal update` checks the latest GitHub release, downloads the matching asset, |
| 132 | verifies its SHA256 checksum, and replaces the current executable. |
| 133 | |
| 134 | ## Next Steps |
| 135 | |
| 136 | - [Concepts](/concepts): understand Portal's relay and transport model |
| 137 | - [Portal Agent](/portal-agent): keep multiple tunnels running from config |
| 138 | - [CLI Reference](/cli-reference): complete command and flag documentation |
| 139 | - [TCP and UDP Tunneling](/tcp-udp-tunneling): raw TCP and UDP examples |
| 140 | - [Deployment](/deployment): run your own public relay |