FOREWORD

When it comes to secure and convenient file transfer, combining ngrok with Python's HTTP server creates a powerful duo that offers the best of both worlds.

Ngrok's secure tunnels allow you to expose your local Python server to the internet, making it accessible from remote devices.

By leveraging ngrok's secure connection, you can harness the file transfer capabilities of Python's HTTP server, enabling seamless sharing of files without compromising on security or privacy.

With this combination, you can set up a local Python server using the HTTP server module and utilize ngrok to create a secure tunnel to it.

This approach eliminates the need for file uploads or storing personal data on third-party drives, ensuring that your files are transmitted directly between devices.

The result is a streamlined file transfer process that is both secure and efficient, empowering you to share files effortlessly while maintaining complete control over your data.

Let's dive deeper into the integration of ngrok and Python's HTTP server and unlock the full potential of this dynamic duo for secure file transfer.

( NGROK has paid version as well which will unlock its full ability but for transferring files free version is enough )

SETTING UP NGROK ENVIRONMENT

• Go to the NGROK website using the below link and signup with your mail ID.

LINK : https://dashboard.ngrok.com/signup

• Once the mail verifications are done , login to the NGROK dashboard of your account .

• Now go to Settings → Account and setup the MFA to make sure your account is highly secure.

  

• Then go to Setup & Installation option as shown below to download the NGROK setup zip file.

  

• Now extract the downloaded zip file and you will see an executable application. Now double click the application to execute it and you will see various options on how to use NGROK. But since we are using the free plan , we will be use the highlighted option for transferring files as shown in the below screenshot.

  

NOTE : In the above highlighted command domain will be replcaed by our static free domain url which I will be explaining below on how to set it up in NGROK and we can provide any port address but it has to be similar to the port number provided while executing python server which also will be explained in detail below.

• Now before performing the file transfer we need to do 3 configuration to make the transfer more secure.

  1. First go to Cloud Edge → Domains → Click New Domain . NGROK provides one free domain for every new users. So we need to make sure we are using all the features available in the free resource. So once you add the new free domain , you will have an entry on your domain section as shown below.

     NOTE : Setting up this free domain is must , so that your public IP address will not get exposed while sharing the URL for transferring files.

     

  2. The second step is to create EDGES for your NGROK connection. Edges allow you to configure endpoints that connect your services to the world. Define edges to serve HTTPS, TCP, or TLS traffic and use modules to secure and manipulate network traffic. Now go to Cloud Edge → Edges → Click Add New Edge. Your static domain will be added as edge as shown below and you can enable & configure various features of it with respect to your needs ( if you have the paid version).

     • For Free version SELECTOR & BACKEND features will be enabled.

     

     • Once the above step is done click on your domain to see all the modules the NGROK edge is offering to you. As shown in the below screenshot I have highlighted the modules available with free version. If you start the tunnel and refresh the status it will show which tunnel is in online.

     

     • Now if you want to start this edge , just click on start a tunnel button and you will be taken to a page where you can select where to perform this action. I have chosen command line and the needed command is already pre-congifured in it. We just need to copy and paste this command in NGROK terminal to run as shown below. But before running the tunnel we need to configure authtoken which is mentioned in the next step.

     

     

  3. The third step is to create AUTHTOKEN for your NGROK connection. AUTHTOKENS connect NGROK agents to your NGROK account. You should provision a unique AUTHTOKENS for every installed NGROK agent. This allows for fine-grained permissions management via ACLs and easy revocation if a machine is compromised or deactivated.

     • So to add tunnel AUTHTOKEN , go to Tunnels → Authtokens → Click Add Tunnel Authtoken. This will create a unique token for your account and you will get an entry as shown below.

     

     • Once added , go to Getting Started → Your Authtoken and run the highlighted command as shown below inside your ngrok application to activate your NGROK agent. This step is must to perform any activities using NGROK. If token is not added on your machine NGROK won’t work.

     

     COMMAND : ngrok config add-authtoken <Paste Your Authtoken Here>

     

Once the above steps are completed we are good to move to the NEXT step on setting up PYTHON HTTP SERVER on your machine.