8 ms·

Show HN: Instantly create a secure URL to your Mac

67 points by youngdynasty 8y ago

kodablah 8y ago
If you don't need extremely high speed, this is really easy to do with a Tor onion service. Granted the client needs to be a Tor browser, but there are benefits to not having to deal with these third party services.
shubhamjain 8y ago
How is it different from ngrok [1]? [1]: https://ngrok.com/ https://ngrok.com/
- yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
  From a cursory glance, I would say one thing is that there’s a GUI for it. Some people are afraid of opening a terminal.
  - youngdynasty 8y ago
    Totally. I was thinking about designers when writing the interface and product page.
- dschep 8y ago
  AFAICT: + GUI - Cross platform support - request inspection support - non-http tunnel support(unclear, docs/faq is terrible)
- ovi256 8y ago
  It's marketed to mac users, and given the GUI, to the sub-segment of mac users who don't use command line tools. The same product can be sold to many different demographics through different channels.
csomar 8y ago
Am I the only one bothered by these apps/saas that hide their pricing? >> No Subscription Required >> The core version of Emporter is free. >> >> Subscriptions are offered to provide faster speeds, custom URL names, multiple sessions, and super good vibes.
- thecatspaw 8y ago
  From their mac store page > Subscriptions provide faster speeds, customized URL names and multiple sessions. • Monthly Subscription: 3 day free trial, then €5.99 a month • Yearly Subscription: 7 day free trial, then €59.99 a year (15% off!) A bit expensive for what localtunnel provides for free, no?
  - tapland 8y ago
    How can the free trials be different lengths depending on what paid package you choose?
    - choward 8y ago
      Good question. This obviously isn't well thought out. Why not just do the annual trial for 7 days? Would they seriously not let you sign up for monthly plan after because of that?
      - youngdynasty 8y ago
        Thanks for your feedback... why not indeed? I've updated it within product page (and In-App Purchases). It'll probably take a little bit for the description in the App Store to update, though.
  - leesalminen 8y ago
    Seems on par with what ngrok charges? Of course I could set it all up myself but the $60/year or whatever is cheap enough for me to let someone else handle it.
  - fadesibert 8y ago
    Why bother with the .99? Why not just charge €6 / €5 - the .99 gambit is, IMHO trivially deceptive and - speaking for myself - if I am presented two purchase / subscription choices that are approximately equal, I will usually choose the product that acknowledges the fact that I am capable of rounding in my head.
- 8y ago
xmichael999 8y ago
Looks really cool, however the Mac store requirement is no a go...
- alexchamberlain 8y ago
  Why is the Mac store a no go?
  - tefferon 8y ago
    iirc its the 30% cut they take from developers, some folks are really against it and vow to boycott. I'm sure there's plenty of other reasons but thats the first that comes to mind
    - scarface74 8y ago
      If the developer looked at the trade offs between using the Mac App Store and decided to use it anyway, why should the customer care? I would think just the opposite, I would be more inclined to use the App Store that already has my payment information on file than pay an unknown developer directly.
spurgu 8y ago
I have exactly one application installed from the Mac Store and that's ironically Microsoft Remote Desktop viewer. This will not be my second one.
- maxehmookau 8y ago
  Thanks for that deep insight.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
malaya_zemlya 8y ago
If you don't want to install any third-party apps, you can do much the same by spinning up an AWS box and using SSH remote port forwarding ssh -NT -R 0:localhost:80 youraccount@yourbox.amazonaws.com I also do an extra step and put an nginx proxy in front to translate hostnames into correct port numbers, but that's optional.
- mcgwiz 8y ago
  Same, with Apache. We leave our reverse proxy up 24/7. Relevant Apache config: RewriteEngine on RewriteCond %{HTTP:Upgrade} =websocket [NC] RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^([^\.]*).*$ [NC] RewriteRule /(.*) ws://localhost:%1/$1 [P,L] RewriteCond %{HTTP:Upgrade} !=websocket [NC] RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^([^\.]*).*$ [NC] RewriteRule /(.*) http://localhost:%1/$1 [P,L] RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^([^\.]*).*$ [NC] RewriteRule ^ - [E=TUNNEL_PORT:$1] ProxyPassInterpolateEnv On ProxyPassReverse "/" "http://localhost:${TUNNEL_PORT}/" interpolate This reverse proxies something like https://12345.example.com https://12345.example.com to http://localhost:12345 http://localhost:12345, which is forwarded back to the dev machine (typically port 80 or 3000). When a local server is spun up, our tooling automatically sets up the remote port forwarding and appropriately configures the local instance based on an environment variable. For a pre-seed startup, this results in considerable cost savings w.r.t. ngrok's pricing.
SCdF 8y ago
I have no idea what this product does. > Instantly create a secure URL to your Mac OK so like a URL to... what? Screenshare? Access the HDD like dropbox? Do something else? > Make changes in real time. Get feedback immediately. Effortless live previews. Of what? About what? Of what? > Nice cartoon picture of dog /closes tab Edit: reading the rest of the page it's still unclear what it does, or even why I'd want it. I guess I'm not the target audience?
- gregoriol 8y ago
  Exactly this! So much focus on dog drawings and no clear word on what the product does!
  - whoiskevin 8y ago
    It was easy in one paragraph for me to tell what it does. Both the comments above seem like old people yelling "get off my lawn"
    - tyingq 8y ago
      Count me in with the old folks. I can't tell what this is. I read not only the home page, but the features and faq pages also. I can guess a bit, but it's still fuzzy.
- scrumper 8y ago
  I went through the entire FAQ to try to figure this out. Best I can tell, it's a port forwarder so you can serve content from a firewalled Mac over the public internet.
- rwcorbett 8y ago
  I had to look into the meta tags to get a better description: `<meta property="og:description" content="Effortless live publishing for web developers">` so I guess the target audience is developers who do not know how to configure a web server, setup proxies or other means of testing webhooks maybe? maybe there is a market for a product like this but obviously I would not be target audience either...
huhtenberg 8y ago
What's the reasoning behind adding saliva to the dog's tongue on the principal image of the landing page? It is so jarring and out of place that it's basically all I see there.
coding123 8y ago
Username is new, is this really a show hn or an ad
- ovi256 8y ago
  There's no rule that says that people new to HN can't do a Show HN.
  - youngdynasty 8y ago
    I admit, I'm usually a lurker :) I have a few other things that I'm looking forward to sharing, though. I just started with this because it will hopefully contextualize some of the other content.
mikestew 8y ago
The hidden pricing is a tab-closer for me. I’m just not going to play that game when it is not even clear what the app does.
- youngdynasty 8y ago
  Thanks for your feedback! I can definitely see why that's a deal breaker. Admittedly, I just thought people would be stoked that it was free to use and download it.
  - mikestew 8y ago
    But here's the thing: if I really like it, and you have any business sense whatsoever, then I'm going to want a subscription. But if I don't know up front what that subscription is going to cost, then I'm not going to bother to download an app, figure out how it works, get really into it, and then find out that the functionality I'm going to want long-term is $895/year. It also makes me think you're not telling me for a reason. I guess I've purchased too much "enterprise" software over the years. :-)
    - youngdynasty 8y ago
      I've updated the main page to include pricing. Thanks again.
ackfoo 8y ago
Highly doubtful that I would ever buy any software sold on a monthly subscription basis. The best parts of my life have been a result of avoiding being tied to monthly fees. Without them, you are free to travel and move about at will. Monthly fees are a ball and chain thought up by corporations to create modern slaves. Psychological and, to some extent, physical captivity.
- jontayesp 8y ago
  The problem is not really subscriptions, it's being able to enter and leave a subscription without hassle, something that is increasingly difficult these days. If you're paying for an ongoing service, then it makes sense to pay a monthly fee. But if you're paying for an app and don't expect significant long-term upgrades, then yes, a one-time purchase makes sense. In theory, iOS implements this well by allowing you to unsubscribe with one click. In practice, it's a terrible UX. Just try finding the subscriptions page in Settings and you'll see what I mean.
- untog 8y ago
  > Monthly fees are a ball and chain thought up by corporations to create modern slaves. Hyperbole much? This service has ongoing costs - they have a server which you need to connect to in order to tunnel to the outside world. So a monthly charge makes 100% more sense than a one-off charge. In fact, a monthly charge is better for everyone, because it ensures their service will be around in perpetuity, rather than shutting down once the stream of new purchases stops. > The best parts of my life have been a result of avoiding being tied to monthly fees. Without them, you are free to travel and move about at will. They are monthly. You are free to travel and move about at will at a month's notice. It's not exactly a life-crushing limitation.
nfrankel 8y ago
* How is that different from ngrok (https://ngrok.com/ https://ngrok.com/)? * If you target Mac developers, the first thing is to provide a Homebrew recipe IMHO
- kypro 8y ago
  Yeah, I'm not sure why I'd use this over ngrok? Maybe if you're non technical, but this is aimed at web designers... Seems like they have the wrong target user to me.
turtlebits 8y ago
Just a note that a lot of enterprises will likely block this app for security issues - my workplace is fairly open (file sharing services are allowed) but blocks ngrok.
- youngdynasty 8y ago
  Hey, thanks for your feedback. One of the biggest reasons that I decided to distribute on the Mac App Store was to establish trust. If I embraced its limitations (i.e. sandboxing), it'd help me build a product that was more secure and have some sort of proof that it was. Also, the company (me) behind the app is based in France, which has some of the toughest privacy laws. The privacy policy, although in English, is compliant with French law. The short version is that Emporter doesn't collect user data, or perhaps most importantly, user content. I have quite a lot I want to discuss about this via the company blog, which ironically is part of the reason I decided to post a "Show HN". I wanted contextualize the product a little bit before inviting this kind of discussion.
abhikarthick 8y ago
Love this app!
elamje 8y ago
I'm building my first web app right now, and understood what this did just by reading the title of the post. Many people building web apps will understand what you mean. It can't hurt to compare it against existing tech that does similar things though.

67 points by youngdynasty 8y ago

If you don't need extremely high speed, this is really easy to do with a Tor onion service. Granted the client needs to be a Tor browser, but there are benefits to not having to deal with these third party services.

shubhamjain 8y ago

How is it different from ngrok [1]? [1]: https://ngrok.com/ https://ngrok.com/

yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
From a cursory glance, I would say one thing is that there’s a GUI for it. Some people are afraid of opening a terminal.
- youngdynasty 8y ago
  Totally. I was thinking about designers when writing the interface and product page.
dschep 8y ago
AFAICT: + GUI - Cross platform support - request inspection support - non-http tunnel support(unclear, docs/faq is terrible)
ovi256 8y ago
It's marketed to mac users, and given the GUI, to the sub-segment of mac users who don't use command line tools. The same product can be sold to many different demographics through different channels.

csomar 8y ago

Am I the only one bothered by these apps/saas that hide their pricing? >> No Subscription Required >> The core version of Emporter is free. >> >> Subscriptions are offered to provide faster speeds, custom URL names, multiple sessions, and super good vibes.

thecatspaw 8y ago
From their mac store page > Subscriptions provide faster speeds, customized URL names and multiple sessions. • Monthly Subscription: 3 day free trial, then €5.99 a month • Yearly Subscription: 7 day free trial, then €59.99 a year (15% off!) A bit expensive for what localtunnel provides for free, no?
- tapland 8y ago
  How can the free trials be different lengths depending on what paid package you choose?
  - choward 8y ago
    Good question. This obviously isn't well thought out. Why not just do the annual trial for 7 days? Would they seriously not let you sign up for monthly plan after because of that?
    - youngdynasty 8y ago
      Thanks for your feedback... why not indeed? I've updated it within product page (and In-App Purchases). It'll probably take a little bit for the description in the App Store to update, though.
- leesalminen 8y ago
  Seems on par with what ngrok charges? Of course I could set it all up myself but the $60/year or whatever is cheap enough for me to let someone else handle it.
- fadesibert 8y ago
  Why bother with the .99? Why not just charge €6 / €5 - the .99 gambit is, IMHO trivially deceptive and - speaking for myself - if I am presented two purchase / subscription choices that are approximately equal, I will usually choose the product that acknowledges the fact that I am capable of rounding in my head.
8y ago

xmichael999 8y ago

Looks really cool, however the Mac store requirement is no a go...

alexchamberlain 8y ago
Why is the Mac store a no go?
- tefferon 8y ago
  iirc its the 30% cut they take from developers, some folks are really against it and vow to boycott. I'm sure there's plenty of other reasons but thats the first that comes to mind
  - scarface74 8y ago
    If the developer looked at the trade offs between using the Mac App Store and decided to use it anyway, why should the customer care? I would think just the opposite, I would be more inclined to use the App Store that already has my payment information on file than pay an unknown developer directly.

spurgu 8y ago

I have exactly one application installed from the Mac Store and that's ironically Microsoft Remote Desktop viewer. This will not be my second one.

maxehmookau 8y ago
Thanks for that deep insight.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

malaya_zemlya 8y ago

If you don't want to install any third-party apps, you can do much the same by spinning up an AWS box and using SSH remote port forwarding ssh -NT -R 0:localhost:80 youraccount@yourbox.amazonaws.com I also do an extra step and put an nginx proxy in front to translate hostnames into correct port numbers, but that's optional.

mcgwiz 8y ago
Same, with Apache. We leave our reverse proxy up 24/7. Relevant Apache config: RewriteEngine on RewriteCond %{HTTP:Upgrade} =websocket [NC] RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^([^\.]*).*$ [NC] RewriteRule /(.*) ws://localhost:%1/$1 [P,L] RewriteCond %{HTTP:Upgrade} !=websocket [NC] RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^([^\.]*).*$ [NC] RewriteRule /(.*) http://localhost:%1/$1 [P,L] RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^([^\.]*).*$ [NC] RewriteRule ^ - [E=TUNNEL_PORT:$1] ProxyPassInterpolateEnv On ProxyPassReverse "/" "http://localhost:${TUNNEL_PORT}/" interpolate This reverse proxies something like https://12345.example.com https://12345.example.com to http://localhost:12345 http://localhost:12345, which is forwarded back to the dev machine (typically port 80 or 3000). When a local server is spun up, our tooling automatically sets up the remote port forwarding and appropriately configures the local instance based on an environment variable. For a pre-seed startup, this results in considerable cost savings w.r.t. ngrok's pricing.

SCdF 8y ago

I have no idea what this product does. > Instantly create a secure URL to your Mac OK so like a URL to... what? Screenshare? Access the HDD like dropbox? Do something else? > Make changes in real time. Get feedback immediately. Effortless live previews. Of what? About what? Of what? > Nice cartoon picture of dog /closes tab Edit: reading the rest of the page it's still unclear what it does, or even why I'd want it. I guess I'm not the target audience?

gregoriol 8y ago
Exactly this! So much focus on dog drawings and no clear word on what the product does!
- whoiskevin 8y ago
  It was easy in one paragraph for me to tell what it does. Both the comments above seem like old people yelling "get off my lawn"
  - tyingq 8y ago
    Count me in with the old folks. I can't tell what this is. I read not only the home page, but the features and faq pages also. I can guess a bit, but it's still fuzzy.
scrumper 8y ago
I went through the entire FAQ to try to figure this out. Best I can tell, it's a port forwarder so you can serve content from a firewalled Mac over the public internet.
rwcorbett 8y ago
I had to look into the meta tags to get a better description: `<meta property="og:description" content="Effortless live publishing for web developers">` so I guess the target audience is developers who do not know how to configure a web server, setup proxies or other means of testing webhooks maybe? maybe there is a market for a product like this but obviously I would not be target audience either...

huhtenberg 8y ago

What's the reasoning behind adding saliva to the dog's tongue on the principal image of the landing page? It is so jarring and out of place that it's basically all I see there.

coding123 8y ago

Username is new, is this really a show hn or an ad

ovi256 8y ago
There's no rule that says that people new to HN can't do a Show HN.
- youngdynasty 8y ago
  I admit, I'm usually a lurker :) I have a few other things that I'm looking forward to sharing, though. I just started with this because it will hopefully contextualize some of the other content.

mikestew 8y ago

The hidden pricing is a tab-closer for me. I’m just not going to play that game when it is not even clear what the app does.

youngdynasty 8y ago
Thanks for your feedback! I can definitely see why that's a deal breaker. Admittedly, I just thought people would be stoked that it was free to use and download it.
- mikestew 8y ago
  But here's the thing: if I really like it, and you have any business sense whatsoever, then I'm going to want a subscription. But if I don't know up front what that subscription is going to cost, then I'm not going to bother to download an app, figure out how it works, get really into it, and then find out that the functionality I'm going to want long-term is $895/year. It also makes me think you're not telling me for a reason. I guess I've purchased too much "enterprise" software over the years. :-)
  - youngdynasty 8y ago
    I've updated the main page to include pricing. Thanks again.

ackfoo 8y ago

Highly doubtful that I would ever buy any software sold on a monthly subscription basis. The best parts of my life have been a result of avoiding being tied to monthly fees. Without them, you are free to travel and move about at will. Monthly fees are a ball and chain thought up by corporations to create modern slaves. Psychological and, to some extent, physical captivity.

jontayesp 8y ago
The problem is not really subscriptions, it's being able to enter and leave a subscription without hassle, something that is increasingly difficult these days. If you're paying for an ongoing service, then it makes sense to pay a monthly fee. But if you're paying for an app and don't expect significant long-term upgrades, then yes, a one-time purchase makes sense. In theory, iOS implements this well by allowing you to unsubscribe with one click. In practice, it's a terrible UX. Just try finding the subscriptions page in Settings and you'll see what I mean.
untog 8y ago
> Monthly fees are a ball and chain thought up by corporations to create modern slaves. Hyperbole much? This service has ongoing costs - they have a server which you need to connect to in order to tunnel to the outside world. So a monthly charge makes 100% more sense than a one-off charge. In fact, a monthly charge is better for everyone, because it ensures their service will be around in perpetuity, rather than shutting down once the stream of new purchases stops. > The best parts of my life have been a result of avoiding being tied to monthly fees. Without them, you are free to travel and move about at will. They are monthly. You are free to travel and move about at will at a month's notice. It's not exactly a life-crushing limitation.

nfrankel 8y ago

* How is that different from ngrok (https://ngrok.com/ https://ngrok.com/)? * If you target Mac developers, the first thing is to provide a Homebrew recipe IMHO

kypro 8y ago
Yeah, I'm not sure why I'd use this over ngrok? Maybe if you're non technical, but this is aimed at web designers... Seems like they have the wrong target user to me.

turtlebits 8y ago

Just a note that a lot of enterprises will likely block this app for security issues - my workplace is fairly open (file sharing services are allowed) but blocks ngrok.

youngdynasty 8y ago
Hey, thanks for your feedback. One of the biggest reasons that I decided to distribute on the Mac App Store was to establish trust. If I embraced its limitations (i.e. sandboxing), it'd help me build a product that was more secure and have some sort of proof that it was. Also, the company (me) behind the app is based in France, which has some of the toughest privacy laws. The privacy policy, although in English, is compliant with French law. The short version is that Emporter doesn't collect user data, or perhaps most importantly, user content. I have quite a lot I want to discuss about this via the company blog, which ironically is part of the reason I decided to post a "Show HN". I wanted contextualize the product a little bit before inviting this kind of discussion.

abhikarthick 8y ago

Love this app!

elamje 8y ago

I'm building my first web app right now, and understood what this did just by reading the title of the post. Many people building web apps will understand what you mean. It can't hurt to compare it against existing tech that does similar things though.