Running a Foundry Virtual Tabletop (VTT) session for friends or players typically means wrestling with your home router: opening ports, configuring firewalls, and handling changing IP addresses. If you’re behind CG‑NAT or don’t have a public IP, traditional port forwarding may not even be possible. This guide walks through a streamlined approach—using a reverse SSH tunnel—to make your locally hosted Foundry game accessible on the internet without touching your router or installing extra software.

Why Traditional Hosting Can Be Painful

  • Port Forwarding: You must log into your router’s admin panel, map external ports to your gaming machine, and hope your ISP assigns a public IP.
  • Firewalls: Corporate or home firewalls often block incoming connections unless explicitly opened.
  • Dynamic IPs: If your ISP frequently changes your public IP, you need a dynamic DNS service or manual updates.
  • CG‑NAT Restrictions: Many modern ISPs (like T‑Mobile Home Internet) use Carrier‑Grade NAT, which blocks unsolicited incoming traffic entirely.

These steps add complexity and potential downtime to host an online session.

Foundry VTT

How Reverse SSH Tunnels Bypass These Issues

A reverse SSH tunnel lets you initiate an outbound, encrypted connection from your local machine to a publicly accessible server. That server then forwards external requests back into your network. Since the connection is initiated from inside your network, CG‑NAT and firewalls won’t block it. You only need an SSH client—no router changes or extra installations.

How Pinggy solves this problem

Pinggy is a practical tunneling utility that enables users to generate secure, publicly accessible URLs for locally hosted applications, such as Foundry VTT. It operates through a simple SSH command executed in a terminal or command prompt, eliminating the need for additional software installation. This functionality makes it especially useful for temporary sessions, demonstrations, application testing, or collaborative activities.

Quick Setup: Expose Foundry VTT in Minutes

1. Start Foundry Locally

  • Launch Foundry VTT as usual. By default, it listens on port 30000.
  • In the Foundry interface, under Game Access → Invitation Links, note the local URL (e.g., http://192.168.1.50:30000).

2. Open a Tunnel

  • In your terminal (macOS/Linux) or PowerShell (Windows with OpenSSH), run: 
ssh -p 443 -R0:localhost:30000 a.pinggy.io
  • This command connects to the tunneling server on port 443 (usually allowed through firewalls) and requests a random public endpoint forwarding to your local port 30000.

3. Share the Public Link

  • After connecting, you’ll see a generated URL such as:

      https://xyzabc123.pinggy.link

  • Send that to your players—they can join your Foundry session from anywhere without extra setup.

Public URL

Advanced Options for Control and Security

1. Managing Pinggy Tunnels via Dashboard

Create an account at Pinggy, then generate an access token. Use it like this:

ssh -p 443 -R0:localhost:30000 -t [email protected]

Your active tunnels will appear in Pingg dashboard, where you can view connection stats or terminate sessions on demand.

2. Adding a Login Prompt

To require a username/password before anyone can reach your VTT:

ssh -p 443 -R0:localhost:30000 -t a.pinggy.io b:USERNAME:PASSWORD

Visitors will see an authentication dialog, adding a layer of protection to your game.

Dashboard

3. Persistent URLs and Custom Domains

For recurring campaigns or public events, a stable URL is key. By upgrading to a persistent‑tunnel plan (Pinggy Pro Plan), you can:

  • Lock in a reusable subdomain (e.g., https://mycampaign.pinggy.link)
  • Map your domain (https://foundry.example.com) via CNAME

This way, players always have the same address, and you can integrate HTTPS certificates automatically.

Conclusion

By leveraging reverse SSH tunnels, you bypass the headaches of traditional port forwarding, dynamic IP woes, and NAT restrictions—yet still make your Foundry VTT server available to anyone online. With a single terminal command, you gain:

  • Zero router configuration
  • Firewall‑friendly connectivity
  • Optional dashboards for monitoring
  • Built‑in authentication and custom domains

Whether you’re running a one‑off one‑shot or a long‑running campaign, this method keeps your focus on game mastery rather than network setup. Enjoy seamless, secure Foundry sessions with minimal fuss!

References:

  1. Foundry VTT Self Hosting Guide
  2. Pinggy's Official Website
  3. SSH Reverse Tunneling