Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

ngrok VS Apache HTTP Server

Compare ngrok VS Apache HTTP Server and see what are their differences

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ngrok logo ngrok

ngrok enables secure introspectable tunnels to localhost webhook development tool and debugging tool.

Apache HTTP Server logo Apache HTTP Server

Apache httpd has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April 1996
  • ngrok Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22
  • Apache HTTP Server Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-21

ngrok features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    ngrok simplifies the process of creating secure public URLs to your local web server. It eliminates complex network configurations and is user-friendly even for beginners.
  • Security
    ngrok tunnels are secured with HTTPS, offering a robust way to expose services without compromising security. It supports multiple authentication methods, ensuring a secure connection.
  • Speed of Setup
    Setting up ngrok is quick. You just need to download the executable and run a simple command to get started. This makes it ideal for rapid development and testing.
  • Flexibility
    ngrok supports multiple protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, and TCP, making it versatile for various types of services.
  • Monitoring
    ngrok provides a web interface for monitoring HTTP traffic flowing through the tunnels, which helps in debugging and analytics.
  • Built-in Authentication
    It includes built-in authentication options, enabling you to create protected tunnels easily without needing to configure your web server.

Possible disadvantages of ngrok

  • Pricing
    While ngrok offers a free tier, many advanced features such as custom subdomains, reserved domains, and additional security features require a paid subscription.
  • Latency
    Because your data is routed through an external server, there can be a noticeable increase in latency, which might affect performance especially for real-time applications.
  • Temporary URLs
    The URLs provided in the free tier are temporary and change every time you restart ngrok. This can be inconvenient for long-term use or sharing links.
  • Rate Limits
    The free version has rate limits on the amount of traffic that can be tunneled, which could be restrictive for high-traffic applications.
  • Dependency
    Using ngrok creates a dependency on an external service, which means your tunnels are subject to ngrok’s availability and reliability. Any downtime on ngrok's end can affect your service.
  • Limited Customization
    The free tier offers limited customization options. More advanced customization requires subscription to a paid plan.

Apache HTTP Server features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache HTTP Server is open source, meaning it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This promotes a large, active community that contributes to its maintenance and improvement.
  • Cross-Platform
    Apache is compatible with a variety of operating systems, including Unix, Linux, and Windows, providing flexibility and widespread usability.
  • Highly Customizable
    It offers a modular architecture that allows users to enable or disable features as needed, and to extend functionality through modules.
  • Robust Documentation
    Apache provides comprehensive and detailed documentation, which makes it easier for users to install, configure, and troubleshoot the server.
  • Widespread Adoption
    With its long history and widespread use, Apache has proven to be reliable and trusted by many organizations worldwide, ensuring a level of trust and stability.
  • Rich Feature Set
    Apache includes many features out-of-the-box, such as SSL/TLS support, URL redirection, authentication, load balancing, and more.

Possible disadvantages of Apache HTTP Server

  • Performance Overhead
    Compared to some lightweight web servers like Nginx, Apache can have higher memory and CPU usage, which may not be ideal for high concurrency needs.
  • Complex Configuration
    Apache's extensive customization options can lead to a complex configuration process, which may be challenging for beginners or those without specific expertise.
  • Less Efficient in Serving Static Content
    While Apache is highly capable, it may be less efficient at serving static content compared to specialized web servers like Nginx.
  • Initial Learning Curve
    Due to its rich features and configurability, new users might face a steep learning curve when first setting up and using Apache HTTP Server.
  • Module Compatibility Issues
    Sometimes, third-party modules may not always be compatible with the latest versions of Apache, causing potential integration issues.

ngrok videos

EQUIP | The making of ngrok - Alan Shreve (ngrok)

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to use LPB Software + Easy Ngrok Setup
  • Tutorial - ngrok tutorial -Access your localhost Wordpress theme from anywhere of the world without hosting
  • Review - spynote x loclx

Apache HTTP Server videos

No Apache HTTP Server videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ngrok and Apache HTTP Server)
Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Web And Application Servers
Localhost Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Web Servers
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare ngrok and Apache HTTP Server

ngrok Reviews

Localtonet | Best Ngrok Alternatives
Exposing local web services to the internet is essential for web developers, but it can be a bit challenging. Ngrok has been the most popular tool for this job, but it's not the only option out there. In this article, we'll explore some of the best ngrok alternatives
Source: localtonet.com
Best ngrok alternatives for localhost tunnels
ngrok provides tunnels for ingress through its programmable network edge. Additionally, it offers observability as well as the ability to change traffic parameters such as headers on the go to your apps with no code changes. In order to use ngrok you must download the ngrok client and sign up to get an account.
Source: pinggy.io
7 Ngrok Alternatives & Competitors for App Tunneling, Free & Paid
For example, let’s say you have a web project on your machine written in Python using the Django framework. Your local server will probably run on an URL like http://localhost:8000 ― which is only accessible on your local machine. With a service like Ngrok, you can configure a public URL like https://myapp.ngrok.io in a single command line and have all the traffic from this...
Source: onboardbase.com
Tools for Testing Webhooks
As it supports cross-platforms, download the suitable binary for OS. For Windows, there is only one binary, ngrok.exe. Copy this to the C:\ngrok folder (or wherever preferred) and enter the command below: [code lang=text] ngrok http 7071 -host-header=localhost [/code]
Top 4 BEST Ngrok Alternatives In 2021: Review And Comparison
NgrokUser is required to sign up in order to generate auth token.Supports all 3 protocols.Usage is through ngrok executable (or through node js based library).Offers both free and paid version. Free version has limited but rich functionalities.Subdomains are supported in the paid version.

Apache HTTP Server Reviews

9 Best XAMPP Alternatives Cross Platform Web Server
However, compared to XAMPP and other popular web servers in the market Apache HTTP Server is a bit more complicated and is a little difficult to navigate for a complete newbie, but if you want to understand web development from the very fundamentals and understand how Apache as a web server software works then this software can be of great help to you.
Litespeed vs Nginx vs Apache: Web Server Showdown
The most commonly used Web Server is by far Apache HTTP Server from the Software Apache Foundation. Created in 1995 by Rob McCool and Brian Behlendorf, among others. The name is a pun for A PatCHy server, as at the time of it’s inception, Apache was based on some existing code, along with some perhaps “hacky or clunky” software packages, enabling it to run. Additionally, the...
Source: chemicloud.com
10 Best alternatives of XAMPP servers for Windows, Linux and macOS
Apache is an open-source and free web server software that owns about 46% of websites worldwide. The official name is Apache HTTP Server and is maintained and developed by the Apache Software Foundation. This allows website owners to serve content on the web – hence the name “webserver”.
Top 5 open source web servers
As the Apache HTTP Server has been the most popular web server since 1996, it "benefits from great documentation and integrated support from other software projects." You can find more information on the Apache Foundation project page.
Source: opensource.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ngrok should be more popular than Apache HTTP Server. It has been mentiond 399 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

ngrok mentions (399)

  • How to Chat with Gemini 2.5 Pro from VSCode via AI Studio (Free and Unlimited)
    Create a tunnel to my local server using a tool like ngrok. - Source: dev.to / 25 days ago
  • I made slack agent without langchain
    If you are testing locally, you can use a service like ngrok to expose your local server to the internet. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • SSR Deep Dive for React Developers
    Now, expose the website to the outside world with ngrok (or a similar tool if you have it):. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Fast and secure ingress to remote AIs with ngrok, Deepseek, and Ollama
    Ngrok: You’ll lean on ngrok’s universal ingress platform for securing and persisting ingress to Ollama and the GPU power behind your LLM. Ngrok abstracts away the networking and configuration complexities around securely connecting to remote services, while also layering in authentication, authorization, and observability you’ll need for a viable long-term solution. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • DeepSeek-R1 on Cursor with Ollama
    By default, ollama serve endpoint http://127.0.0.1:11434 but if u direct using the endpoint to cursor I cant be used. So we need ngrok. U can download and login it, then they instruct u to login via auth token. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
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Apache HTTP Server mentions (65)

  • Open Source: A Goldmine for Indie Hackers
    Open source software is built on the democratic idea that everyone should be able to inspect and contribute to the source code. Major projects like Linux, WordPress, and the Apache HTTP Server have shown how collaborative efforts can produce robust, scalable solutions. Indie hackers, often working with limited budgets, gain access to highly dependable tools such as Python and MySQL, which were originally developed... - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago
  • Unveiling a Licensing Legend: The Netscape Public License 1.1
    The Netscape Public License 1.1 served as a crucial stepping stone for modern open source licensing models. Developed by Netscape Communications Corporation, it was designed to encourage global community collaboration while safeguarding intellectual property. During the rise of the open source movement, the license provided a much-needed balance between transparency and control, making it a frequent subject of... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Unveiling GNU FDL 1.2: A Deep Dive into Free Documentation Licensing
    Adoption, Use Cases, and Comparative Analysis: Projects ranging from community manuals to major software endeavors like the Apache HTTP Server have adopted the GNU FDL 1.2 to preserve the spirit of open documentation. While its copyleft nature ensures that every modification remains free, critics argue that the rigidity of the license may deter commercial integration. This is contrasted with alternative licensing... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Unveiling GNU FDL 1.1: A Deep Dive into Free Documentation Licensing
    GNU FDL 1.1 was created by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) with the intent of bringing the same freedoms found in free software to documentation. Many notable projects, including those under the aegis of the Apache HTTP Server, have benefited from a documentation license that guarantees continued openness and proper attribution. Throughout our exploration, we will delve into the evolution, strengths, and... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Unveiling SISSL 1.1: A New Era in Open Source Fairness
    Community Engagement and Legal Robustness: The license has garnered attention not just for its legal precision but also for its emphasis on community fairness. Developers find reassurance in clear, transparent clauses that protect their rights while simultaneously opening avenues for innovation. The Apache HTTP Server serves as one notable example of a project that embraced similar principles in fostering a... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ngrok and Apache HTTP Server, you can also consider the following products

Pagekite - Bring your localhost servers on-line.

Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services is a web server for Microsoft Windows

localhost.run - Instantly share your localhost environment!

Apache Tomcat - An open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies

Portmap.io - Expose your local PC to Internet from behind firewall and without real IP address

LiteSpeed Web Server - LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) is a high-performance Apache drop-in replacement.