Accessing Localhost on Android Emulator

Dimas Maulana included in Development

29-11-2012

Contents

When working with the Android emulator, you might need to access the localhost running on your host computer from within the emulator. The default IP address to reach the host computer from the emulator is 10.0.2.2. In this article, we’ll explore how to access localhost on the Android emulator using this IP address.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure that you have the following:

Android Studio or the Android SDK installed on your development machine.
An Android emulator running on your machine.
A web server or any application running on localhost that you want to access from the emulator.

Steps to Access Localhost

Determine the IP address of your host computer: The default IP address to access localhost on your host computer from the Android emulator is 10.0.2.2. However, to verify the IP address, you can open a terminal or command prompt on your host computer and run the following command:
```
ipconfig (Windows)
```
```
ifconfig (macOS/Linux)
```
Look for the network adapter’s IP address and note it down.
Start your Android emulator: Launch the Android emulator from Android Studio or using the command line. Wait for the emulator to fully load and become operational.
Access localhost from the emulator: Within the emulator, open a web browser or any application that needs to access localhost. Instead of using localhost or 127.0.0.1, enter 10.0.2.2 in the address bar or relevant configuration field.

For example, if your web server is running on port 8080, you can access it from the emulator by entering http://10.0.2.2:8080 in the browser’s address bar.
Verify the connection: If everything is set up correctly, you should be able to access the content or services hosted on your localhost from the Android emulator. Ensure that the desired web page or application functions as expected.

Conclusion

By utilizing the default IP address 10.0.2.2, it is possible to access the localhost running on your host computer from within the Android emulator. This capability is helpful for testing and debugging purposes, allowing you to interact with web servers and other applications seamlessly.