> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usekolaos.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Previews

KolaOS detects development servers in your workstation and lists their ports under **Previews**. Start your repository's development server, then choose **Open preview** for its port.

The HTTPS preview supports hot reload, including servers that listen on the workstation's `localhost`. You do not need to expose a public port on the node.

## Share a port

**1. Open sharing**

As the workstation owner, choose **Share** on the port.

**2. Choose readers**

Select named people or enable **Everyone**. The workspace's **Who can open previews** policy limits the audience. **Everyone** means everyone admitted by that policy.

**3. Save and send the URL**

Save the change and send the preview URL. Readers must sign in to KolaOS and belong to the permitted audience.

With **Workspace members only**, sharing is limited to people who can access the workspace. With **Everyone in the organization**, organization members can be admitted. The **Anyone with a public link** policy currently has the same signed-in organization boundary; anonymous public previews are not supported.

Sharing applies to one port. It does not share your IDE, SSH access or other ports. A restarted server keeps that port's sharing settings.

## Make a preview private

Open **Share**, turn off **Everyone**, remove the selected people and save. Removed readers lose access, including open connections after the gateway's next authorization check, normally within about 10 seconds.

Only the owner manages a workstation's previews. An admin can change the workspace's preview policy but cannot open the owner's IDE.

## When a preview does not open

Check that the server is still running and that you opened its current port. A reader who is refused should check the signed-in account and ask the owner to review sharing. If the workspace policy excludes the reader, an admin must review the policy.

See [troubleshooting](https://docs.usekolaos.com/development/troubleshooting.md) for startup and access failures.


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