> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.celesto.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Port Forwarding

> Forward ports from a SmolVM sandbox to your host so you can reach web servers, databases, and APIs running inside the sandbox as if they were local.

When you run a web server, database, or API inside a sandbox, port forwarding lets you access it from your host machine as if it were running locally.

## Expose a port

Start a service inside the sandbox and expose it to your host:

```python theme={null}
from smolvm import SmolVM

with SmolVM() as vm:
    vm.run("python3 -m http.server 8000 &")

    host_port = vm.expose_local(guest_port=8000, host_port=8000)
    print(f"Service available at http://127.0.0.1:{host_port}/")
```

Omit `host_port` to let SmolVM pick an available port automatically:

```python theme={null}
host_port = vm.expose_local(guest_port=8080)
print(f"Guest port 8080 exposed on localhost:{host_port}")
```

## Multiple ports

Expose multiple services from the same sandbox:

```python theme={null}
with SmolVM() as vm:
    vm.run("python3 -m http.server 8000 &")
    vm.run("python3 -m http.server 9000 &")

    port1 = vm.expose_local(guest_port=8000, host_port=8000)
    port2 = vm.expose_local(guest_port=9000, host_port=9000)

    print(f"Service 1: http://127.0.0.1:{port1}/")
    print(f"Service 2: http://127.0.0.1:{port2}/")
```

## Remove a port forward

Port forwards are automatically cleaned up when the sandbox stops. To remove one manually:

```python theme={null}
vm.unexpose_local(host_port=8080, guest_port=8080)
```

<Warning>
  `expose_local()` only binds to `127.0.0.1` (localhost). Services are not exposed to your network.
</Warning>

## From the CLI

If you already have a running sandbox, you can forward ports from your terminal — no Python required:

```bash theme={null}
smolvm sandbox port expose my-vm 8080:3000
smolvm sandbox port list my-vm
smolvm sandbox port close my-vm 8080:3000
```

CLI forwards are non-blocking and persist after the command exits. See [`smolvm sandbox port`](/smolvm/cli/port) for the full reference.