How to expose wsl port to other interfaces

While working on a project using WSL, I noticed that I was not able to access my development server from other devices connected within the same local network. This is because WSL creates a virtual LAN that is not exposed to other network interfaces. To make my development server accessible from other devices on the network, I had to expose the WSL port to other interfaces. Here is how I did it.

Command

To expose a WSL port to other interfaces, use the following netsh command in Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt:

netsh interface portproxy set v4tov4 listenport=8888 listenaddress=0.0.0.0 connectport=8888 connectaddress=$(wsl hostname -I)

• listenport=8888: The port on the Windows host you want to listen to.
• listenaddress=0.0.0.0: Listens on all interfaces.
• connectport=8888: The port inside WSL you want to expose.
• connectaddress=$(wsl hostname -I): The IP address of the WSL instance.

reference - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/64513964/wsl-2-which-ports-are-automatically-forwarded 🔗

Adding Port to Firewall (Windows)

Merely exposing the port didn’t work for me, I also had to add the port to the firewall.

I Followed these steps to add the port to the Windows Firewall:

1. Click Start, then navigate to Control Panel.
2. Select Windows Firewall, then choose Advanced Settings.
3. On the left pane, click Inbound Rules, then click New Rule on the right pane.
4. Choose Port as the rule type, then click Next.
5. On the Protocol and Ports page, select either TCP or UDP, and specify Specific local ports or All local ports.
6. Enter the port number you want to open, then click Next.
7. On the Action page, select Allow the connection, and click Next.
8. On the Profile page, choose the appropriate options for your environment, and click Next.
9. Finally, name the rule and click Finish.