# ekzhang/bore

🕳 bore is a simple CLI tool for making tunnels to localhost

Repository: https://github.com/ekzhang/bore
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/bore
Homepage: http://bore.pub
Language: Rust
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: cli, rust, tunnel, networking, tcp, localhost, proxy, self-hosted
Last push: 2026-02-04T18:00:26+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 55/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 65, release rhythm 16, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1612, "days_push": 210, "days_rel": 450, "gap_med": 92.5, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 11437, forks 518 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:46.961660+00:00)

## What it is
bore is a simple, fast CLI tool written in Rust that creates TCP tunnels to expose local ports to a remote server, bypassing NAT and firewalls. It is a minimal, unopinionated alternative to ngrok and localtunnel, consisting of a single binary for both client and server that is easy to self-host.

## Use cases
- expose a local development server to the public internet
- share a localhost web app with a teammate for testing
- test webhooks that require a publicly reachable URL
- forward a TCP port through NAT or a firewall
- self-host my own tunnel server instead of using ngrok
- demo a locally running service to a client

## When to choose
- you need a lightweight, fast TCP tunnel with minimal dependencies
- you want to self-host your own tunnel server with a single binary
- you prefer a simple, unopinionated tool without accounts or dashboards
- you need cross-platform support including Docker images

## When to avoid
- you need HTTP-level features like custom domains, authentication, or request inspection
- you want a GUI dashboard or traffic analytics
- you need built-in TLS termination or load balancing
- you require UDP forwarding

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: proxy, networking, http-server, cli
- domain: networking, developer-tools, self-hosted
- platform: windows, rust, cli, cross-platform
- tags: tcp-tunnel, localhost-tunnel, nat-traversal, port-forwarding, ngrok-alternative, self-hosted-tunnel, command-line, linux, macos, docker

## Member repositories
- ekzhang/bore (main) score 55

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:46.961660+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:15:36.270055+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ekzhang/bore (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:46.961660+00:00, sha 4d9a10eec4e0)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.