🌐 Connecting to WSL2 server via local network
❓ Are you unable to connect to your WSL server from another computer or your mobile device on the same network?
(Running my local server in WSL2 with Next.js/CRA and being unable to access it from other devices on the local network.)
⚙ Follow the steps below and you should be able to access the WSL2 server through other devices on the same local network.
▶ Step 1
On the Windows PowerShell or cmd, use the command ipconfig, and search for IPv4 Address to find your Windows IP address.
▶ Step 2
Open the port on your machine in order to access it over your network. Run the command bellow in Windows PowerShell as admin:
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allowing LAN connections" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=3000
In my case, the port that I allowed is 3000.
(Change according to the port you want to allow -> localport=PORT_TO_ALLOW)
▶ Step 3
Still in Windows PowerShell, pass the port that the app is listening on to the corresponding port within WSL. Follow the command below to do this:
netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenport=3000 listenaddress=YOUR_IPV4_ADDRESS connectport=3000 connectaddress=$($(wsl hostname -I).Trim());
-
listenport: The port that Windows will listen to. -
listenaddress: The address that your Windows will listen to (finded on step 1). -
connectport: The port that your Linux distribution through WSL2 will listen to. -
connectaddress: The public IP of your Linux WSL2 instance.
📝 (Note that the Hyper-V IP changes every time Windows reboots, so the public IP in WSL2 also changes). To avoid hardcoding due to updating the WSL IP every reboot, pass the $($(wsl hostname -I).Trim()) to dynamically put the IP of the WSL.
🔥 Finally, to see if everything is working properly, write the command:
netsh inteface portproxy show v4t0v4
If everything is fine, you should see something like:
Now, you can access your server using WINDOWS_IP:PORT_ALLOWED
🤓 In my case, 192.168.18.217:3000.
🎉🎉
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