Skip to content
Inspectr Logo Inspectr

Exposing an On-Premise REST API

Running REST APIs inside a private network is common for enterprise or self-hosted setups. You can place Inspectr in front of your internal service to expose it and inspect all incoming traffic.

In many enterprise networks, exposing a service to the internet typically involves firewall rules, NAT configurations, or configuring DMZ proxies. Each of these steps can involve multiple configurations and complex network policies.

Inspectr helps to reduce this complexity.

Inspectr creates a secure single outbound HTTP connection to the public Inspectr Ingress. Since most organizations already allow outbound traffic, you can safely share a public URL for the internal service without altering inbound firewall rules.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • Inspectr installed (Installation guide →) on a on-premise setup
  • A REST API running internally, e.g., http://intranet.local:5000

Step 1: Ensure Your API is Running

Section titled “Step 1: Ensure Your API is Running”

Make sure your on-prem API is reachable from the machine where Inspectr is running.

Example:

Terminal window
curl http://intranet.local:5000/health

Inspectr will forward traffic to this address.

Step 2: Configure & Run Inspectr On-Premise

Section titled “Step 2: Configure & Run Inspectr On-Premise”

You can easily install Inspectr on any Windows or Linux server. After the installation, start Inspectr and configure it to point to your internal service.

Terminal window
inspectr \
  --listen=:8080 \
  --backend=http://intranet.local:5000 \
  --expose \
  --channel=internal-api \
  --channel-code=access123

Your API will be reachable via:

https://internal-api.in-spectr.dev

Share this URL with partners or tools that must access your on-prem service.

  • Starts Inspectr locally on port 8080
  • Forwards incoming requests to your internal API
  • Access the internal setup over a public URL
  • View captured traffic at http://localhost:4004.

You can now share the public Inspectr URL with external stakeholders or services that need temporary access to your on-prem system.

Step 3: Connect to your internal API

Section titled “Step 3: Connect to your internal API”

Now that your internal API is exposed, it can be accessed securely from outside your network using the Inspectr-generated URL.

Example:

Terminal window
curl https://internal-api.in-spectr.dev/health
  • Your request hits the Inspectr Ingress via https://internal-api.in-spectr.dev
  • Inspectr routes the request through the secure channel to your on-prem server
  • The response is returned seamlessly to the external client
  • You can view request/response details instantly in the local dashboard

It’s just a regular HTTPS call, with Inspectr securely handling the relay behind the scenes.

Summary

Section titled “Summary”

Inspectr makes it painless to expose and inspect internal REST APIs without changing firewall rules or setting up VPNs or tunnels. Start it next to your service, make it publicly accessible by the expose option, and share a live URL.

  • 🔐 Secure, outbound-only traffic.
  • 🌐 Public access without the complex networking.
  • 🔍 Real-time logs & visibility.