ngrok vs HookReplay: Which Should You Use?

If you're developing webhook integrations locally, you've probably used ngrok or a similar tunneling tool. It's the default recommendation in almost every webhook provider's documentation. But is it always the best approach?

In this post, we'll compare two fundamentally different approaches to local webhook development:

• Tunneling (ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel, localtunnel) — Exposes your localhost to the internet
• Capture-and-Replay (HookReplay) — Captures webhooks and lets you replay them on demand

Spoiler: they're not mutually exclusive. The best approach depends on what you're trying to do.

How Tunneling Works

Tools like ngrok create a secure tunnel from the public internet to your local machine. When Stripe (or any webhook provider) sends a request to your ngrok URL, it gets forwarded to your localhost.

Stripe --> ngrok.io --> ngrok client --> localhost:3000

Pros:

• Real-time webhook delivery
• Works with any webhook provider
• No code changes needed
• Great for demos and testing with external collaborators

Cons:

• Free tier gives you a new URL on every restart
• You need to re-trigger webhooks every time you want to test
• Can't easily test the same payload multiple times
• Debugging with breakpoints is tricky (webhook times out while you're stepping through code)
• Requires internet connection

How Capture-and-Replay Works

HookReplay takes a different approach. Instead of tunneling, it captures webhooks at a stable URL and lets you replay them to localhost whenever you want.

Stripe --> HookReplay (captures & stores)
                    
Later, on demand:
HookReplay --> CLI --> localhost:3000

Pros:

• Replay the same webhook as many times as you need
• Debug with breakpoints at your own pace
• Edit payloads to test edge cases
• Stable URL that never changes
• Works offline (once captured)
• Full history of all webhooks received

Cons:

• Not real-time (you trigger replays manually)
• Requires initial setup of CLI
• Not suitable for demos where external parties need to see live updates

When to Use ngrok

Tunneling is the right choice when:

When to Use HookReplay

Capture-and-replay is the right choice when:

Side-by-Side Comparison

The Best of Both Worlds

Here's a secret: you don't have to choose. Many developers use both tools for different purposes:

1. Use ngrok for initial integration setup — When you're first connecting to a webhook provider and want to see what payloads look like
2. Switch to HookReplay for debugging — Once you have real payloads captured, use HookReplay to debug your handler code

You can even use them together: point your webhook provider at HookReplay, which captures everything, and only use ngrok when you specifically need real-time delivery.

Real-World Workflow

Here's how a typical development session might look:

Pricing Comparison

Both tools offer generous free tiers that are suitable for individual developers. The paid tiers become valuable when you need stable URLs, more endpoints, or team features.

Summary

ngrok is great for real-time tunneling, demos, and initial integration setup. It's the Swiss Army knife of local development.

HookReplay is purpose-built for webhook debugging. When you need to replay the same webhook 100 times, edit payloads, or debug with breakpoints, it's the right tool.

The best developers use both — ngrok for exposure, HookReplay for debugging. Pick the right tool for the job.