How to use the command "expose" (with examples)
1: Register your authentication token
expose token token
Motivation: When using Expose, you need to authenticate yourself to ensure security. This command allows you to register your authentication token, which will be used for subsequent commands.
Explanation:
The token argument is used to specify your authentication token. By running this command, you provide Expose with the necessary credentials to access your account.
Example Output:
Authentication token has been successfully registered.
2: Share the current working directory
expose
Motivation: This command is used to share the current working directory as a website through Expose. It allows you to quickly make your local website accessible to others without the need for deploying to a public server.
Explanation:
By running expose without any additional arguments, you share the current working directory as a website. The Expose server will generate a unique URL that can be used to access your website.
Example Output:
Your website has been shared and is accessible at: https://random-url.expose.host
3: Share the current working directory with a specific subdomain
expose --subdomain=subdomain
Motivation: In some cases, you may want to share your website with a specific subdomain to create a more memorable URL. This command allows you to customize the subdomain.
Explanation:
The --subdomain flag is used to specify a custom subdomain for your shared website. By providing a value for the subdomain argument, Expose will generate a URL with the specified subdomain.
Example Output:
Your website has been shared and is accessible at: https://subdomain.expose.host
4: Share a local URL
expose share url
Motivation: Sometimes, instead of sharing the current working directory, you may want to share a specific local URL. This command allows you to specify a URL to be shared using Expose.
Explanation:
The share keyword is used to indicate that you want to share a specific URL. The url argument should be replaced with the actual URL that you want to share.
Example Output:
The URL https://example.com has been shared and is accessible at: https://random-url.expose.host
5: Run the Expose server
expose serve
Motivation: The Expose server is responsible for handling incoming requests and routing them to the appropriate shared website. This command allows you to start the Expose server.
Explanation:
By running expose serve, you start the Expose server on your local machine. This allows you to accept incoming connections and serve the shared websites to visitors.
Example Output:
The Expose server is running on http://localhost:4040
6: Run the Expose server with a specific hostname
expose serve hostname
Motivation:
By default, the Expose server runs on localhost, which means it is only accessible on your local machine. However, sometimes you may want to make the server accessible from other devices on your network. This command allows you to specify the hostname to achieve this.
Explanation:
The hostname argument should be replaced with the desired hostname. By providing a value for the hostname argument, the Expose server will bind to that hostname, allowing it to be accessed from other devices on the same network.
Example Output:
The Expose server is running on http://hostname:4040
Conclusion
Expose is a powerful tool for sharing websites, whether it’s your local development environment or a specific URL. By using the various commands and arguments provided by Expose, you can easily and securely make your websites accessible to others. Whether you need to quickly share a local website or create a custom subdomain, Expose has you covered.
