Privacy Policy

Effective: May 25, 2026

Localhost Explorer is a local-first macOS developer utility. It shows local TCP listeners, explains what they are, and helps you stop them safely.

Data We Inspect Locally

• process names and PIDs
• local addresses and ports
• working folders and command lines
• launchd labels, Homebrew service names, and Docker-compatible published port metadata when available

This inspection happens on your Mac using local tools such as lsof, ps, launchctl, brew, and docker when those tools are available.

Data We Collect Or Upload

Localhost Explorer does not collect analytics, telemetry, usage events, process data, command lines, folders, ports, or scan results. There is no account and no tracking.

When The App Uses The Network

The app is local-first, not air-gapped. It reaches the network in exactly two situations, both under your control:

• Update checks. Unless you turn them off in Settings, the app periodically asks localhostexplorer.com whether a newer version exists (via Sparkle, over HTTPS). This request contains no personal data or scan results.
• Network tools you run. Some optional tools make a request only when you click them — for example “Health check” and “Open when ready” connect to a local port you name, and “My public IP”, “Ping”, “Traceroute”, and the HTTP tools contact the host you enter (the public-IP tool asks api.ipify.org). Nothing runs until you run it.

Local Settings

The app stores local preferences such as display toggles, filter choices, safety confirmations, and popover layout in macOS app storage on your device.

To offer one-click restart, the app also keeps a short local history (up to 40 entries) of recently stopped processes — their name, folder, and command line — in that same on-device app storage. It is never uploaded, and you can remove entries from the stopped list at any time.

Stop Actions

When you click Stop, Localhost Explorer may send TERM to the selected process, run brew services stop <name> for Homebrew-managed services, boot out a launchd agent with launchctl bootout, or ask Docker-compatible tooling to stop a clearly identified container. Confirmation is enabled by default.

Contact

For privacy or support questions, visit Support.