Free
START HERE$0/ month
For personal apps and first projects.
- 10 apps
- 10 databases
- CLI for developers and coding agents
- 10 GB public bandwidth per month
- A livehq.app URL for each app
- No custom domains
Web app hosting for Mac
LiveHQ. Host your apps.
On your Mac.
LiveHQ turns your Mac into a server for web apps and APIs. Deploy a project, get a secure HTTPS URL, and choose who can open it.
Apple Silicon · macOS 15+ · Docker Desktop
Local builds. Local databases. Managed HTTPS.
Explore LiveHQ01 /Your hosting control center
Apps. Databases.
One Mac app.
Deploy projects, check logs and resource usage, manage databases, and control access from the LiveHQ Mac app.
Choose a detail to zoom in, or enlarge the full screenshot.
Choose a project. Give it a URL.
Select a local folder or a GitHub repository. Set resources and access, add a database if needed, and follow each stage of the deployment.
Deploy your first project02 /How deployment works
Your project.
A shareable URL.
Choose a folder, connect GitHub, or use the command line. LiveHQ builds and starts your app on your Mac, checks its health, then connects its URL.
livehq deploy ./my-app --output jsonUse the signed CLI yourself or with a coding agent.
Check the new version before switching traffic.
When you redeploy, LiveHQ checks the new version before changing the route. A failed health check leaves the previous healthy version selected.
my-appDEPLOYMENT
Play the demo to step through a deployment.
Deployment demo · simulated output
Managed builds and standard container support
Next.jsReactViteVueNuxtSvelteKitAstroNodeFastAPIRustDockerfileContainerfile
03 /Where your code and data live
Local builds.
Local databases.
LiveHQ builds your source and stores managed databases on your Mac. Here’s what stays local and what its online services handle.
On your Mac
LOCALProject files and builds
Your project is built through Docker Desktop on your Mac. LiveHQ doesn’t send it to a remote build service.
PostgreSQL and SQLite
Your managed databases live on your Mac’s disk. Database Studio lets you work with them locally.
App secrets
Runtime secrets use macOS Keychain and are passed to your app when it runs. They stay out of ordinary image builds.
Handled online
Web requests
Visitors connect over HTTPS to LiveHQ’s public edge. Allowed requests travel back to your Mac over its outbound connection.
Accounts, URLs, and access rules
LiveHQ’s online services manage sign-in, routing, access policy, and limited deployment logs with secrets redacted.
Your app can still send data to external services it calls.
04 /Private by default
Share your app.
Control access.
Keep an app for yourself, share it behind a password, or make it public. LiveHQ checks access at its public edge before forwarding requests to your Mac.
The internet
Visitors to your app
LiveHQ edge
HTTPS · shielding · access
Your Mac
Your apps and databases
Example request path · choose an access mode
Only you can open the app, after signing in. This is the default for new apps.
Signed-in owner allowedOther visitors blocked at the edge
DDoS shielding at the public edge.
Cloudflare handles public HTTPS and DDoS shielding in front of LiveHQ’s edge. Flood traffic is absorbed there, and your Mac’s IP address is not published as the app’s origin.
No port forwarding. No static IP. No router changes.
See how LiveHQ protects your MacFind these access controls in LiveHQ
Choose a detail to zoom in, or enlarge the full screenshot.
Who LiveHQ is for
Indie apps.
Client previews.
Independent developers
Side projects with a database
Run a web app, an API, and PostgreSQL on your Mac, with a URL you can share.
Freelancers and studios
Client previews, kept private
Let clients review work behind an app password. Change access when the review ends.
Personal software
Tools you build for yourself
Keep a personal dashboard private, or let your coding agent deploy an app through the CLI.
05 /Plans for the apps you host
Start free.
Grow from there.
Your Mac supplies the compute. Free includes apps, databases, and managed URLs. Pro adds more capacity and custom domains. Manage your subscription in LiveHQ’s Plan & Usage screen.
Pro
Monthly
See current pricing in the app under Plan & Usage.
- Unlimited apps and databases
- 5 custom domains; add capacity in $5 monthly units
- 200 GB public bandwidth per billing period
- Everything in Free
Teams
COMING SOONSoon
Shared access for people and workspaces.
- People & teams access
- Workspace-wide sharing
- Access and invitation history
Public bandwidth measures data sent to visitors through LiveHQ’s edge, in decimal GB. Free resets each UTC calendar month; Pro resets each billing period. Apps and databases share the capacity of your Mac.
See Plan & Usage in the Mac app
Choose a detail to zoom in, or enlarge the full screenshot.
Hosting requirements
Your Mac must stay awake.
LiveHQ runs trusted projects on an Apple Silicon Mac with Docker Desktop. If the Mac sleeps, Docker stops, or the internet connection drops, visitors cannot reach your apps. Choose workloads that fit that availability.
Read the setup requirements- Operating system
- macOS 15 or later
- Processor
- Apple Silicon
- Required software
- Docker Desktop
What is LiveHQ?
LiveHQ is a Mac app for hosting web apps, APIs, and databases on an Apple Silicon Mac. It builds and runs your projects through Docker Desktop, gives your apps HTTPS URLs, and lets you manage deployment, data, and access from the same app.
What can I host?
LiveHQ supports managed builds for Next.js, React, Vite, Vue, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, Node.js, FastAPI/Python, and Rust. Other web apps and services can use a standard Dockerfile or Containerfile. Use it for projects you trust.
Does my Mac need to stay on?
Yes. Your Mac must stay awake, Docker Desktop must be running, and the internet connection must remain available. If any of these stop, visitors cannot reach your apps. LiveHQ does not move the workload to a cloud server when your Mac is offline.
Do I need to change my router or expose my home IP?
No port forwarding or static IP is needed. Your Mac makes an outbound connection to LiveHQ. Your app’s public hostname points to the edge, and your Mac’s IP address is not published as the app’s DNS origin.
Where do my code and data go?
LiveHQ builds your code and runs managed PostgreSQL and SQLite on your Mac. Database Studio works locally. Web requests pass through the public edge; LiveHQ’s online services also manage accounts, routes, access rules, and redacted deployment logs. Your own app can still send data to services it calls.
Can my app use a database?
Yes. Create a managed PostgreSQL or SQLite database and attach it to your app. PostgreSQL supports multiple apps with separate credentials; SQLite supports one attached app. Backups are coming soon.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes, on Pro. Add the domain in LiveHQ and create the DNS record it shows you. LiveHQ displays the verification and HTTPS setup status. Free apps use managed livehq.app URLs.
Can my coding agent deploy an app?
Yes. The signed livehq CLI lets developers and coding agents deploy projects and manage supported app operations. It returns structured results, including the failed step and recovery guidance, without giving the agent direct access to Docker’s control socket.
How is this different from a tunnel?
A tunnel gives an existing local service a path to the internet. LiveHQ also builds and runs the app, checks new versions before routing traffic to them, manages databases, provides access controls, and offers logs and resource controls. The app still runs on your Mac.
What does the Free plan include?
Free includes 10 apps, 10 databases, CLI access, managed livehq.app URLs, and 10 GB of public bandwidth each month. Pro adds unlimited app and database counts, custom domains, and 200 GB per billing period. Your Mac’s hardware still determines how much you can run. Teams is coming soon.
Start hosting with LiveHQ
Your app.
Your server.
Install LiveHQ, choose a project, and host it on the Mac you already own. The getting started guide walks you through the setup.
Download for Mac
Free plan available · Apple Silicon · macOS 15+