Cloudflare Tunnel
Connects local or private servers to Cloudflare's network without opening inbound ports.
- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 3
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel connects a server, home lab or development machine to Cloudflare's network without opening inbound ports or exposing a public IP. You run the open-source cloudflared daemon, which makes outbound encrypted connections to Cloudflare, then map hostnames on a domain you manage in Cloudflare to local services, so incoming traffic gets Cloudflare's CDN, firewall and DDoS protection on the way in. Beyond websites it can carry SSH, RDP and other TCP traffic, and it pairs with Cloudflare Access to put a login in front of internal apps. For quick tests, Quick Tunnels give you a random trycloudflare.com URL without an account or a domain. The tunnel itself is available on every Cloudflare plan, including the free one, which makes it a common choice for self-hosters. Stable hostnames need a domain using Cloudflare DNS, and setup assumes some comfort with DNS settings.
Best for: Self-hosters and developers who want a free, stable way to publish services without opening ports.
Pros and cons
What works
- Available on Cloudflare's free plan
- No open inbound ports; traffic gets Cloudflare's CDN and DDoS protection
- Quick Tunnels give a temporary URL with no account
- Works for SSH and RDP as well as web apps
Why people leave
- Stable hostnames require a domain using Cloudflare DNS
- No built-in request inspector like ngrok's
- All traffic passes through and is decrypted at Cloudflare
Top Cloudflare Tunnel alternatives
See all 3- 1
ngrok66.5Faster to start for one-off demos, with a request inspector and replay for debugging webhooks.
- 2
Microsoft Dev Tunnels62.6Private-by-default tunnels built into Visual Studio and VS Code, with no domain needed.
- 3
Tailscale50.3Keeps services private to your own devices, with Funnel for the occasional public share.
Why people left Cloudflare Tunnel
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Cloudflare Tunnel: common questions
Is Cloudflare Tunnel free?
Cloudflare Tunnel has a free plan and paid plans.
Is Cloudflare Tunnel open source?
No, Cloudflare Tunnel is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Tailscale.
What platforms does Cloudflare Tunnel run on?
Cloudflare Tunnel is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
What are the best alternatives to Cloudflare Tunnel?
The highest-ranked Cloudflare Tunnel alternatives right now are ngrok, Microsoft Dev Tunnels and Tailscale. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.