LAN Hosting Guide: Access Your Projects Across Home Devices

Share your local development projects across devices without complex setups or cloud services

What is LAN Hosting?

LAN Hosting (Local Area Network Hosting) allows you to run a project on one machine and access it from any device on the same WiFi network.

Step-by-Step Implementation

1. Configure Your Backend (Machine A)

Node.js (Express) Example

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Project accessible across network!');
});

// Critical: Bind to 0.0.0.0
const PORT = 3000;
app.listen(PORT, '0.0.0.0', () => {
  console.log(`Server running at http://0.0.0.0:${PORT}`);
});

Python Simple Server

# Hosts current directory at port 8000
python -m http.server 8000 --bind 0.0.0.0

Key Configuration:
Always bind to 0.0.0.0 instead of localhost to allow network access.

2. Find Your Local IP Address

Windows

1. Open Command Prompt
2. Execute: ipconfig
3. Look for IPv4 Address under your WiFi adapter
   (Example: 192.168.1.100)

Linux/macOS

1. Launch Terminal
2. Run: ifconfig or ip a
3. Find inet address under wlan0/en0
   (Example: 192.168.1.100)

3. Access from Another Device (Machine B)

1. Ensure both machines are on the same WiFi
2. On Machine B’s browser, visit:
   http://<Machine-A-IP>:<PORT>
   (Example: http://192.168.1.100:3000)

SSH Access Troubleshooting

Encountering “Connection refused” when trying to SSH between machines? Follow these steps:

1. Verify SSH Service Status

systemctl status sshd

2. Start and Enable SSH Service

sudo systemctl start sshd
sudo systemctl enable sshd  # Enable on boot

Advanced Techniques

Persistent Access with Local DNS

Assign a fixed local domain:

# On Machine B's /etc/hosts
192.168.1.100   touch.grass

Access via: http://touch.grass:3000

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Security Considerations

1. Temporary Exposure: Disable network binding when not testing
2. Firewall Restrictions: Only open necessary ports
3. Authentication: Add basic auth for sensitive projects

   // Express basic auth
   const basicAuth = require('express-basic-auth')
   app.use(basicAuth({
    users: { username: "password" },
    challenge: true,
   }));