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Nix edited this page May 30, 2026 · 5 revisions

FAQ

Does GhostlyShare deploy my app?

No. Your app keeps running locally. GhostlyShare creates a public tunnel to that local app.

Why is my app visible in the browser but not in GhostlyShare?

GhostlyShare does not show every reachable port. It needs enough evidence that the port is a local development app and not a system or infrastructure service.

Add a meaningful <title>, use a common development runtime, or expose a clear API or framework response.

Why are two ports shown as one app?

They probably look like the same app. GhostlyShare merges ports with the same stable app fingerprint, and it often prefers HTTPS over HTTP.

See App Merging.

Why does Go Public show a URL before the link works everywhere?

Cloudflare can report the tunnel URL before every edge route, DNS answer, browser, or local app request is fully ready. Usually this is a short delay. Custom domains can take longer because DNS is involved.

See Going Public.

Does closing GhostlyShare stop Cloudflare?

On normal close, yes. GhostlyShare stops the Cloudflare tunnel processes it started.

If the app is force-killed or the machine shuts down abruptly, cleanup may not run.

Does stopping my local app stop the tunnel process?

Not always immediately. GhostlyShare may keep tunnel processes warm while it is running, but forwarding for the missing app is disabled once the app is detected as gone.

How long does a CLI share last?

Only while ghs share is running. The CLI is not a background daemon and does not have separate ghs stop or ghs list commands. Press Ctrl+C to stop sharing and clean up.

You can also add --expires-after, for example ghs share 5173 --expires-after 15m, to stop sharing automatically after the selected lifetime.

Can GhostlyShare stop a public link automatically?

Yes. Use Link Lifetime in the desktop app, or use --expires-after in the CLI. The allowed range is 1 minute to 40 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes. today keeps the link online until the end of the current local day.

GhostlyShare can also stop a live public link automatically if the public URL is no longer reachable. This can happen after sleep, network changes, VPN changes, or tunnel connectivity problems. Start sharing again after checking your local app and network.

Why is the request count higher than the number of visitors?

Requests count public HTTP requests, not page visits. One browser visit can load HTML, scripts, styles, images, API calls, icons, and framework connections.

Why did Active go back to zero while my browser tab was open?

For regular web pages and APIs, Active is based on recent public activity. If no new request arrives for about one minute, the visitor is no longer shown as active. WebSockets, server-sent events, and streaming responses stay active while the connection is open.

How long does password access last?

The default successful visitor password session is 30 minutes. The desktop app lets you choose 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, or 24 hours. The CLI can set 5 to 1440 minutes with --password-session-minutes.

Why am I rate-limited?

Random trycloudflare.com links use Cloudflare quick tunnels. If Cloudflare rejects new quick tunnels because too many were created recently, GhostlyShare waits locally before trying again. See Rate Limits and Sessions.

Is Windows or Linux better supported?

The main sharing flow is supported on both Windows and Ubuntu/Debian Linux.

Windows has Microsoft Store integration and DPAPI token storage. Linux has .deb packaging, Secret Service token storage, and desktop behavior that can vary between GNOME, KDE, X11, and Wayland.

What Linux desktops are expected to work?

Ubuntu GNOME on X11 and Wayland are the primary tested Linux environments. Other desktop environments may work, but tray and focus behavior can differ.

Can I use GhostlyShare for production hosting?

No. GhostlyShare is for local development sharing, demos, reviews, and temporary public access.

Where can I report a bug?

Use the public bug report form:

Report a bug

Anyone with a GitHub account can open an issue. Please remove Cloudflare API tokens, passwords, private URLs, and other secrets before posting.

Where can I request a feature?

Use the public feature request form:

Request a feature

Feature requests should describe the user problem and expected behavior.

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