> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.make87.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Port Forwarding Commands > Forward ports and serial devices from remote machines using forward and serial commands ## Overview m87 port forwarding allows you to securely access services running on remote devices or devices on remote networks as if they were running locally. All traffic is encrypted through the m87 secure tunnel. *** ## Forward Command Forward ports from remote devices or remote network devices to your local machine. ### Syntax ```bash theme={null} m87 forward ... ``` Each target follows the format: `[local_port:]remote_target[/protocol]` Where: * `remote_target` is `[host:]port` * `protocol` is `tcp` (default) or `udp` ### Port Forwarding Formats | Format | Description | Example | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | | `port` | Forward remote port to same local port | `8080` | | `local:remote` | Forward remote port to different local port | `3000:8080` | | `host:port` | Forward from device on remote network | `192.168.1.50:554` | | `local:host:remote` | Map remote network device to local port | `8554:192.168.1.50:554` | | `port/protocol` | Specify protocol (tcp or udp) | `8080/udp` | ### Basic Examples ```bash Same Port Forwarding theme={null} # Forward remote port 8080 to local port 8080 m87 rpi forward 8080 # Access at http://localhost:8080 ``` ```bash Different Port Mapping theme={null} # Forward remote port 8080 to local port 3000 m87 rpi forward 3000:8080 # Access at http://localhost:3000 ``` ```bash Explicit TCP theme={null} # TCP is the default protocol m87 rpi forward 8080/tcp ``` ```bash UDP Forwarding theme={null} # Forward UDP traffic (e.g., DNS) m87 rpi forward 53/udp ``` *** ## Network Device Forwarding Access devices on the remote device's network, not just services running on the device itself. ### Use Cases * Access IP cameras on remote LANs * Connect to routers and switches through a jump host * Reach internal network services * Access IoT devices without public IPs ### Examples ```bash IP Camera Access theme={null} # Forward port 554 from IP camera at 192.168.1.50 m87 rpi forward 192.168.1.50:554 # Or expose locally on different port m87 rpi forward 8554:192.168.1.50:554 # View RTSP stream locally ffplay rtsp://localhost:8554/stream vlc rtsp://localhost:8554/stream ``` ```bash Router Admin Panel theme={null} # Router at 192.168.1.1 only accessible from office network m87 office-pc forward 8080:192.168.1.1:80 # Open http://localhost:8080 in browser ``` ```bash Internal Database theme={null} # Access database on internal network m87 gateway forward 5432:10.0.1.100:5432 # Connect to PostgreSQL psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U myuser mydb ``` *** ## Multiple Port Forwarding Forward multiple ports with a single command. ### Examples ```bash Same Ports theme={null} # Forward multiple ports (same local and remote) m87 device forward 8080 9090 3000 ``` ```bash Mixed Port Mapping theme={null} # Forward web UI and API with different local ports m87 device forward 3000:3000 8080:8000 # Access frontend at http://localhost:3000 # Access API at http://localhost:8080 ``` ```bash Full Stack Application theme={null} # Forward frontend, backend, and database m87 app-server forward 3000 8000 5432 ``` *** ## Port Ranges Forward ranges of ports efficiently. ### Syntax ```text theme={null} start-end Forward port range (same local/remote) start-end:start-end Map local range to different remote range start-end:host:start-end Range with specific remote host ``` ### Examples ```bash theme={null} # Forward ports 8080-8090 (same local and remote) m87 device forward 8080-8090 # Map local range to different remote range m87 device forward 8080-8090:9080-9090 # Forward range from network device m87 device forward 8080-8090:192.168.1.50:9080-9090/tcp ``` Port ranges are particularly useful for applications that use multiple consecutive ports, such as media servers or game servers. *** ## Real-World Examples ### Web Development ```bash Development Server theme={null} # Remote Node.js app on port 3000 m87 dev-server forward 3000 # Access at http://localhost:3000 curl http://localhost:3000 ``` ```bash Web UI and API theme={null} # Forward both frontend and backend m87 rpi forward 8080:80 3000:3000 # Frontend at http://localhost:8080 # API at http://localhost:3000 ``` ### Database Access ```bash PostgreSQL theme={null} # Forward PostgreSQL port m87 db-server forward 5432 # Connect with psql psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U myuser mydb ``` ```bash MongoDB theme={null} # Forward MongoDB with different local port m87 db-server forward 27018:27017 # Connect with mongo client mongo --host localhost --port 27018 ``` ```bash Redis theme={null} # Forward Redis m87 cache-server forward 6379 # Connect with redis-cli redis-cli -h localhost -p 6379 ``` ### IoT and Smart Home ```bash Home Assistant theme={null} # Access Home Assistant on remote Raspberry Pi m87 rpi forward 8123 # Open http://localhost:8123 in browser ``` ```bash MQTT Broker theme={null} # Forward MQTT broker m87 iot-gateway forward 1883 # Publish message mosquitto_pub -h localhost -p 1883 -t test/topic -m "hello" ``` ### Media Streaming ```bash theme={null} # Forward RTSP stream from camera m87 rpi forward 8554:192.168.1.50:554 # Stream with VLC vlc rtsp://localhost:8554/stream # Stream with ffmpeg ffplay rtsp://localhost:8554/stream ``` ### SSH Tunneling ```bash theme={null} # Forward SSH from another device on remote network m87 gateway forward 2222:10.0.1.100:22 # SSH to internal device through tunnel ssh -p 2222 user@localhost ``` *** ## Serial Command Connect to serial devices (USB, UART) on remote machines. ### Syntax ```bash theme={null} m87 serial [BAUD] ``` ### Parameters | Parameter | Required | Default | Description | | --------- | -------- | ------- | -------------------------------------------- | | `PATH` | Yes | - | Path to serial device (e.g., `/dev/ttyUSB0`) | | `BAUD` | No | 115200 | Baud rate for serial connection | ### Examples ```bash Default Baud Rate theme={null} # Connect to USB serial device (115200 baud) m87 rpi serial /dev/ttyUSB0 ``` ```bash Custom Baud Rate theme={null} # Connect with 9600 baud m87 rpi serial /dev/ttyUSB0 9600 # Connect with 57600 baud m87 rpi serial /dev/ttyACM0 57600 ``` ### Common Serial Devices | Device Path | Description | | -------------- | ----------------------------- | | `/dev/ttyUSB0` | USB-to-serial adapter | | `/dev/ttyACM0` | Arduino, USB CDC devices | | `/dev/ttyAMA0` | Raspberry Pi UART (GPIO pins) | | `/dev/ttyS0` | Built-in serial port | ### Use Cases * **Arduino development** - Flash and debug Arduino boards * **Router/switch configuration** - Access console ports * **Embedded systems** - Debug embedded Linux devices * **Industrial equipment** - Monitor and control serial devices * **IoT devices** - Configure ESP32, ESP8266, and similar devices ### Serial Examples ```bash Arduino Debugging theme={null} # Connect to Arduino on remote Pi m87 rpi serial /dev/ttyACM0 # You can now use Arduino Serial Monitor output ``` ```bash Network Switch Configuration theme={null} # Access switch console through remote device m87 admin-pc serial /dev/ttyUSB0 9600 # Configure switch via console ``` ```bash ESP32 Development theme={null} # Connect to ESP32 for debugging m87 dev-board serial /dev/ttyUSB0 115200 # View ESP32 serial output ``` Use `m87 exec -- ls /dev/tty*` to list available serial devices on the remote machine. *** ## Security Features **All forwarding is secure by default:** * All traffic is encrypted through the m87 secure tunnel * No need to expose ports publicly or configure firewalls * Authentication handled automatically by m87 * End-to-end encryption for all forwarded connections *** ## Connection Behavior * Forwarding runs in the foreground * Press `Ctrl+C` to stop forwarding * Connection automatically reconnects if network drops * Local ports are released when forwarding stops *** ## Related Commands * [Device Access](/commands/device-access) - Execute commands on remote devices * [Docker Integration](/commands/docker-integration) - Forward ports from containers