Tailscale Funnel alternative
Tailscale Funnel publishes a service from a device that already belongs to a tailnet. lokei share publishes the active development project and treats its commands, local routes, service dependencies, and share lifecycle as one unit.
Last verified: July 16, 2026
npm install -g @ulpi/lokei && lokei setupFunnel is network-aware; lokei is application- and project-aware.
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| Capability | lokei | Tailscale Funnel | Official evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required context | A configured or detectable project in the current directory | A device joined to a tailnet with MagicDNS, HTTPS, and Funnel policy enabled | |
| Share command input | lokei share needs no port for a single-service project | tailscale funnel receives a target such as port 3000, a file, or a directory | |
| Public hostname | A project-based lokei.dev hostname, with supported custom-domain options | The device's DNS name inside the tailnet's ts.net domain | |
| Starting the service | Starts a stopped framework, script, Compose stack, Sail project, or declared services | Proxies to the supplied target; application startup remains separate | |
| Recipient requirement | Recipients need only the URL unless the developer enabled protection | Funnel recipients need only the public URL and do not need to join the tailnet | |
| Private sharing | Local .test routes stay on the development machine; public shares can be protected | Tailscale Serve exposes the service only inside the tailnet, while Funnel makes it public |
The table distinguishes public Funnel behavior from Tailscale Serve, which stays private to the tailnet.
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| Capability | lokei | Tailscale Funnel | Official evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named local development URL | Every project can use a trusted .test URL before it is shared | Funnel's documented job is public routing through a ts.net hostname, not local development naming | |
| Framework and Docker awareness | Detects framework commands and discovers Compose, Sail, monorepo services, workers, and dependencies | Framework-neutral proxy from the public Funnel endpoint to the target on the device | |
| Request inspection and replay | Built-in local capture, filtering, editable replay, retention, and HAR export | No application request inspector or replay workflow is documented as part of Funnel |
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| Capability | lokei | Tailscale Funnel | Official evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| TLS and ports | Public HTTP applications are served over managed HTTPS without selecting a Funnel listener port | Funnel is TLS-only and listens on ports 443, 8443, or 10000 | |
| Bandwidth and status | Sharing behavior follows the selected lokei cloud plan and project share session | Funnel is documented as beta and traffic is subject to non-configurable bandwidth limits | |
| Custom public domain | Supports custom-domain controls through lokei cloud capabilities | Funnel can only use a DNS name in the tailnet's ts.net domain |
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| Capability | lokei | Tailscale Funnel | Official evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who may create a share | The signed-in lokei account creates and manages its project share sessions | A tailnet node attribute controls which tailnet members may enable Funnel | |
| Public access protection | Can protect shared URLs with passwords or bearer tokens | A Funnel URL is public; use Serve instead when access should remain limited to the tailnet | |
| Share management | Status, add, targeted stop, and all-service stop commands operate on a project share session | The Funnel CLI exposes status and reset controls for the device's configured targets |
Funnel benefits from the tailnet around it; lokei benefits from understanding the application behind it.
A natural public extension of an existing Tailscale network.
A complete path from project folder to working local and public URLs.
The deciding question is whether your source of truth is a tailnet device or a development project.
Tailscale can remain your device network while lokei owns local project startup and temporary public collaboration.
Installing lokei does not require removing Tailscale. The tools can coexist because they own different local and network surfaces.
Answers about tailnets, recipients, public names, ports, and private sharing.
No. Funnel is specifically the public option, so anyone can open the URL. Tailscale Serve is the related feature for access that should remain inside the tailnet.
No. lokei provides its own local DNS, TLS proxy, project lifecycle, inspector, and hosted HTTP sharing workflow. Tailscale is not a dependency.
lokei. Funnel proxies to the target supplied to the CLI. lokei resolves the project command or service model, starts it when necessary, waits for readiness, and then creates the share.
Not according to its documented requirements: Funnel names must belong to the tailnet's ts.net domain. lokei supports custom-domain capabilities through its hosted sharing plans.
Funnel itself creates a public URL. Tailscale recommends Serve when the resource should stay private to the tailnet. lokei can add password or bearer-token protection to a public development share.
lokei is better when services, dependencies, workers, and private infrastructure should be discovered and shared as one project. Funnel can publish configured targets, but the tailnet does not model the repository's application lifecycle.
Yes. Tailscale continues to provide the tailnet and Funnel or Serve endpoints; lokei provides project-local .test routing and its own optional public shares. Avoid configuring both products to claim the same local listener port.
Tailscale claims use the official Funnel feature and CLI documentation. lokei claims use the public website and npm package documentation.
Verified July 16, 2026. Funnel is documented as beta and its requirements can change. Tailscale is a trademark of its respective owner. lokei is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tailscale. Public Funnel behavior is not conflated with private Tailscale Serve behavior.
$ lokei run
Install lokei, complete setup once, and share a project without entering its target port.
npm install -g @ulpi/lokei && lokei setup