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Mpalo: Connecting Local & Self-Hosted Models

You can connect any model with an API endpoint to Mpalo, giving you the flexibility to use local models via Ollama, self-hosted models on your own servers, or private models on cloud infrastructure. This guide outlines the best methods for connecting your models.

Connecting Your Model

There are two primary ways to connect a model you manage yourself: using a public server endpoint or using our recommended Mpalo Secure Tunnel for local development.

Option 1: Connecting a Self-Hosted Model on a Public Server

This is the most straightforward method if your model is already running on a cloud server (e.g., on AWS, GCP, Azure) that has a public, static IP address or a domain name.

  1. Get Your Model's Endpoint URL

    This is the public, stable address where your model's API is accessible (e.g., https://my-model-server.com/api/generate).

  2. Add to Workbench

    Copy the URL and paste it into a new Custom Connection in the Mpalo Workbench.

  3. Configure Firewall (If Needed)

    Ensure your server's firewall is configured to allow inbound connections from Mpalo's IP ranges (which will be listed in our main API documentation).

Option 2: Connecting a Local Model (Recommended Method: Mpalo Secure Tunnel)

For developers running models on a local machine (e.g., with Ollama), the best way to create a stable, permanent connection is with the Mpalo Secure Tunnel. This is a simple, affordable add-on that provides a permanent, secure URL that tunnels directly to your local machine, eliminating technical complexity.

  1. Step 1: Subscribe to the Service

    In your Mpalo Workbench, navigate to the 'Add-ons' section and subscribe to the Secure Tunnel service. It's a flat fee of $5 per month for up to 10 tunnels.

  2. Step 2: Download and Run the Mpalo Utility

    Download our lightweight, secure utility for your operating system. Run it from your terminal on the same machine that is hosting your model. After a one-time login with your Mpalo API key, it will automatically create and maintain the connection.

  3. Step 3: Use Your Permanent URL

    The utility will provide you with a permanent, personal *.mpalo.dev URL. Copy this URL and paste it into a new Custom Connection in the Mpalo Workbench.

That's it. Your connection is now stable and managed directly within the Mpalo ecosystem. You'll never need to update the URL again.

For Quick, Temporary Testing Only

If you need to conduct a very brief, disposable test and do not want a permanent solution, you can use a free third-party tunneling tool like ngrok.

Run ngrok http 11434 in your terminal to expose your local model.

Copy the temporary https://...ngrok-free.app URL it generates.

Paste this URL into a Custom Connection in the Workbench.

Important: This method is not recommended for any development work. The ngrok free URL is temporary and will change every time you restart the command, forcing you to update your connection in the Workbench constantly.