How to deploy on LAN without paid hosting/domain?

[Ajaysinghbt2117]

Hello everyone,

I have installed the project by cloning it on my Windows 10 local machine and tested all the modules successfully. Now I want to make it live so that my employees can access the system (including the Android app).

My requirements are:

I do not want to use any paid hosting or domain service.

The application should run from my local server / LAN.

Employees within the office network should be able to access it on their PCs and Android devices.

Has anyone implemented a similar setup? Could you please guide me with the steps or configuration required to host the system locally and share it over LAN/Wi-Fi?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[TSmiley12]

Step 1: Assign a Static IP to Your Windows Server

1. You don’t want your server PC’s IP to change after every reboot.
2. Open Control Panel → Network and Internet → Network and Sharing Center.
3. Click your active network → Properties.
4. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
5. Select Use the following IP address and assign something like:
6. IP Address: 192.168.1.50
7. Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
8. Default Gateway: your router’s IP (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
9. DNS: same as your router or Google (8.8.8.8)

Step 2: Configure Horilla to Listen on All Interfaces

1. By default, Django apps bind to 127.0.0.1 (localhost), which only you can access.
2. Open Command Prompt in your project folder.
3. Run with: python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Step 3: Allow Firewall Access

1. Windows Firewall blocks connections by default.
2. Press Win + R, type:
3. wf.msc
4. Go to Inbound Rules → New Rule.
5. Select Port → TCP → Port 8000.
6. Allow the connection.
7. Give it a name like Horilla HRMS.

Step 4: Test from Another PC

1. On another PC connected to the same LAN/Wi-Fi, open a browser and enter: http://192.168.1.50:8000
2. You should see the HRMS login page.

At this point, your Horilla HRMS is fully accessible in your office LAN

[horilla-opensource]

Hi @Ajaysinghbt2117,

Thank you for your interest in deploying Horilla over your LAN.

@TSmiley12 has already shared a very detailed and accurate set of steps. To summarize from the Horilla side:

1. Assign a static IP to your local server machine so the address doesn’t change after reboots.

2. Run Horilla on all interfaces using:

   python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

   This makes the app accessible from other devices in your network.

3. Allow the port (e.g., 8000) in your firewall so other PCs/Android devices can reach it.

4. Access from client devices using:

   http://<your-server-IP>:8000
   

For production-like usage, we also recommend:

• Using Gunicorn/Uvicorn + Nginx for better stability.
• Running with PostgreSQL instead of SQLite if multiple users will access simultaneously.
• Setting up HTTPS (via self-signed certificate) for secure LAN access.

This way, Horilla will run reliably within your office network without requiring any paid hosting or domain.

Best Regards,
Team Horilla