Member-only story
HTTPS on localhost | FREE Alternative To ‘ngrok’
This story is for all my ‘Developers’ friends….
As a developer, you know that it is not possible to run HTTPS on a localhost.
However, you do need HTTPS when working with video and audio-related applications, such as chat and video calls.
I initially installed ngrok, but it is free for a few number of requests per month, and I exceeded my quota for the month in just 15 days. So I tried to upgrade to their paid plans.
But that did not happen as they were declining my card. And I'm thankful they did. Because they declined my payment processing and did not upgrade my account to a paid plan, so I started to look for another alternative to ngrok.
I found 2 FREE solutions to ngrok (which can run HTTPS on a localhost):
1. openssl: (https://gist.github.com/cecilemuller/9492b848eb8fe46d462abeb26656c4f8)
2. mkcert: (https://github.com/FiloSottile/mkcert)
I went with mkcert, and it worked for me.
In 2 hrs of going back and forth with claude.ai, I got https running on my local system.
SO I decided to give you the exact steps for mkcert that works…
