Porthole - Local Port Sharing · published · build 25073590
This is a big one. 2.0.0 is the largest update we've shipped so far, and we're pretty happy with it. Here's what changed.
Apple Silicon Macs are invited to the party. The same one-click hosting and joining you know from Windows and Linux, now on your Mac too.
No more "what's your code?" back and forth. Browse the open lobbies, sort and filter them, and click one to connect. Your friends' lobbies stay pinned at the top. Want people to find yours? List it with a name and a description, and put a password on it if you like.
Broadcast mode makes a game you're hosting look like it's sitting on your own local network, so anything that goes looking for LAN servers has a shot at spotting it. In theory that helps with a whole lot of games. On by default when your network setup allows it. Today it covers UDP broadcast games, with a full L2 adapter on the way to widen that. For games that only advertise over LAN broadcast and give you no way to connect by IP, it's the only way in at all. It's also a big help for Source-engine games, which ignore the loopback interface by default, so broadcast is what lets them find your server (otherwise everyone has to type net_usesocketsforloopback 1 in the console).
Porthole got a proper cleanup: consistent buttons and icons, panels you can drag to resize, tooltips on the bits you used to squint at, and a Help screen that finally earns the name. It also sizes itself to your display, so it looks right on a cramped laptop or a big monitor without you ever touching a scale slider.
Temporary share codes: let people into a password-protected lobby without ever handing over the real password.
Porthole remembers your last lobby (name, password, visibility, player cap, description), so you're hosting again in seconds.
Offer a port to friends under a different number than the game actually listens on.
An upload limit for the whole tunnel, a notification center, favourite friends, and a Firewall helper on Linux.
Dropped connections pick themselves back up, with a proper retry dialog when an outage drags on.
Switched WiFi mid-session? The host rebuilds its lobby on its own, and your share code keeps working right through it.
A brief blip no longer scrambles who's in charge or boots you from your own game.
"Kick older versions" stopped kicking people who are on the same version as you.
Squashed a "Steam client appears to be out of date" that was locking some players out on a perfectly fine Steam.
We've opened a Steam beta branch and added an Experimental features toggle in Settings, so new stuff can reach you sooner and get polished out in the open. Want the bleeding edge? Opt into the beta (right-click Porthole in your library, then Properties, then Betas), you may also turn on Experimental features under Advanced Porthole settings.
We're not done. Next up is third-party addon support, starting with optional virtual network adapters (L2/L3) that put you and your friends on one virtual LAN, for the games that only ever wanted a real local network. After that, the feature many of you asked for - persistent lobbies.
Porthole is built by a tiny team, and the Supporter Pack is the easiest way to help us keep the updates coming. It's cosmetic only, so you're backing the work, not buying features. Want to do more? Come hang out in our Discord and help us test the beta branch. We've got something planned for the people who really pitch in. And if you already got the Supporter Pack, gifting it to a friend, or just telling people about Porthole, helps more than you'd think. Thank you so much!