bore

Expose a local port to a remote Bore server

$ bore local [[-t|--to]] [remote_server_address] [local_port]

$ bore server

$ bore [[-h|--help]]

bore local <LOCAL_PORT> [options]
bore server [options]

local <LOCAL_PORT>
    Client mode: forward public traffic to local TCP port.

server
    Server mode: host tunnel server for clients.

-h, --help
    Print help information.

-V, --version
    Print version information.

-p, --port <PORT>
    Port for server bind/connect (default 2222).

--to <ADDR>
    Tunnel server host (default bore.pub; local only).

--key <KEY>
    Authentication key for server (local only).

--private
    Use private (non-public) tunnel addresses (server only).

bore is a lightweight, Rust-based command-line tool for creating TCP tunnels to expose local services to the internet. It provides a simple alternative to tools like ngrok, focusing purely on TCP forwarding without HTTP-specific features, accounts, or complex configurations.

In local mode, bore local <port> connects your local TCP port to a remote bore server, which assigns a public endpoint (e.g., bore.pub:nnnn) that proxies traffic back to your machine. Server mode, bore server, runs the tunnel host on your infrastructure.

Default public server is bore.pub:2222, enabling instant use without setup. Custom servers support auth keys for security. Ideal for development previews, webhook testing, SSH access, or any TCP service sharing. Cross-platform, single binary, low overhead, and open-source under MIT license.

Public bore.pub for testing only; rate-limited and no SLA. Self-host for production. TCP-only, no UDP/HTTP auth.

bore local 8080
Output: bore://abcde.bore.pub:1234 <-- share this public URL.

cargo install bore-cli
Or download binaries from GitHub releases for Linux/macOS/Windows.

Created by Ethan Zhang (ekzhang) in 2021 as a Rust rewrite for simplicity. GitHub star-powered alternative to ngrok; v0.5+ adds relay mode and keys.

socat(1), nc(1), ssh(1)