Localhost to Live URL: Turn Your Project into a Public Link

The simplest way to get a localhost site online is to deploy its built files to a static host that gives you a public HTTPS URL. If you just want the quickest answer, follow the localhost deployment steps: build your project, usually with npm run build, then upload the resulting dist/ or build/ folder. You get a live https://yourname.vibedeploy.be URL and can add a custom domain when you are ready.

That is the short version. The rest of this page explains the real options, when each one fits, and the exact steps.

First, what "localhost" actually is

http://localhost:3000 (or :5173, or :8000) is a server running only on your own machine. Nobody else can reach it. To put it online you need one of two fundamentally different things:

1. A tunnel that temporarily exposes your running local server to the internet.
2. A deploy that copies your built site to a host that serves it permanently.

These solve different problems. Pick by what you actually need.

Why localhost/project or localhost/demo only opens on your computer

Any localhost/... address, whether it is localhost/project, localhost/demo, or localhost:3000, resolves to 127.0.0.1, an IP address that always means "this machine". When you open it, your browser talks to a server running on your own computer. When someone else opens the exact same link, their browser looks for that server on their machine, finds nothing, and shows "This site can't be reached". The link is not broken; it just points somewhere different for every person who clicks it.

That is why there is no trick, browser setting, or router tweak that turns a plain localhost URL into a public one. A localhost link you can actually share means one of two things: a tunnel that exposes your running machine, or a deploy that puts the files on a real host. Those are exactly the two options covered below.

Option 1: a temporary tunnel (for a quick demo)

Tools like a tunnel service give your running localhost a temporary public address, often for a few minutes or hours. This is great for showing a teammate a work-in-progress, testing a webhook, or a quick screen-share demo.

The catch: the URL dies when you close your laptop, the address is random and ugly, and your machine has to stay on. It is a demo trick, not hosting. If you want the link to keep working tomorrow, you need a real deploy.

Option 2: deploy the built site (for anything real)

Most localhost projects, including everything built with AI tools, compile down to static files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and assets. Once you have those built files, a static host serves them to the world. This is the right answer for a portfolio, a landing page, a client site, a side project, or an AI-generated app front-end.

The steps are the same almost everywhere:

# from your project folder
npm run build
# produces dist/ (Vite, Astro, SvelteKit static) or build/ (CRA, some others)

Then upload that output folder. With VibeDeploy:

1. Start a free 14-day trial, no credit card.
2. Click New Site and drag in your dist/ or build/ folder.
3. You get a live *.vibedeploy.be URL within about 30 seconds.
4. Open Domains, add your own domain, and point the DNS records it shows you. SSL provisions automatically, usually within 60 seconds.

If your project is plain HTML with no build step, even simpler: drop the folder with your index.html straight in.

Option 3: let an AI agent deploy it for you

If you build in an MCP-capable client like Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf, you can skip the manual upload entirely. Connect the VibeDeploy MCP server at https://mcp.vibedeploy.be/mcp, then say "deploy this to VibeDeploy" in plain language. The agent ships your build and replies with the live URL. We cover this in detail in What is MCP hosting. This route also sidesteps a classic confusion: when Claude says it saved your site to a sandbox path like /home/workdir/artifacts/index.html, that file is not on your computer at all, but an MCP-connected agent can deploy it from there directly.

Which one should you use?

• Just need to show someone for five minutes? Use a tunnel.
• Want a link that keeps working, on your own domain? Deploy the built files.
• Building with an AI tool or coding agent? Let the agent deploy over MCP.

For most people asking "how do I get my localhost site online", option 2 is the real answer, because the point is usually a link that lasts.

For a side-by-side breakdown of tunnels, static hosts, and other approaches, see the localhost hosting comparison.

A note on "but my app has a backend"

A static host serves your front-end. If your localhost app also runs an always-on server (a custom Node API, a Flask app, a database you manage), that backend needs a server host. A static or single-page front-end, including one that calls an external API or a service like Supabase, deploys cleanly to VibeDeploy while the backend stays where it runs. Be honest with yourself about which kind of app you have: most marketing sites, landing pages, and AI-built front-ends are static and are a perfect fit.

Why EU hosting, briefly

If your visitors are in Europe or your site touches any personal data, where it is hosted matters for GDPR. VibeDeploy serves only from Belgian data centres, with a Data Processing Agreement available on every paid plan. That is a different default from most US-based static hosts. See why GDPR matters for AI-built sites.

Cost

The 14-day trial covers one site with a custom domain, so you can take a localhost project all the way to a live HTTPS URL at no charge. After that, the Maker plan is EUR 15/month, flat, with no per-bandwidth surprises. Compare the static-host options on the comparison pages.

Next steps

• Building with a specific tool? Jump to the tool-by-tool deploy guides.
• Want the full picture? Read the pillar guide: How to deploy AI-built websites in 2026.
• Ready now? Start the free trial and deploy your dist/ folder.