Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel: A free outbound tunnel for publishing private services through Cloudflare’s edge. Ranked #3 of 33 in Reverse Proxy Software by our editors (8.9/10); pricing: Free plan; best for publishing private services with edge protection.
At a glance
- Editor score8.9 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forPublishing private services with edge protection
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Deployment modelBoth
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Outbound-only encrypted connections avoid inbound origin exposure.
- Supports HTTP, SSH, RDP, SMB, TCP, and other service protocols.
- Includes dashboard, API, Terraform, and local configuration options.
Where it doesn't
- Cloudflare’s broader security features may require separate plan requirements.
- The cloudflared daemon must run on origin infrastructure.
- Its strongest fit is within the Cloudflare ecosystem and integrations.
Our verdict on Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel connects origin servers, APIs, and private services to Cloudflare through outbound-only encrypted connections. It is designed for teams publishing applications without exposing public IP addresses, as well as organizations routing internal networks and non-HTTP services. The cloudflared daemon runs on Linux, macOS, or Windows infrastructure, while public hostnames can direct users to local services. Supported protocols include HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, SSH, RDP, SMB, and other service protocols.
The published plans show Cloudflare Tunnel itself is available on all Cloudflare plans, making the tunnel component free. Once traffic reaches Cloudflare, published applications can use CDN caching, a web application firewall, DDoS protection, rate limiting, Access controls, and load-balancing capabilities. Cloudflare Tunnel also supports multiple connectors and replicas for redundancy and failover. Teams should distinguish the free Tunnel service from broader Cloudflare platform and security capabilities, which may have separate plan requirements.
Management options suit both infrastructure teams and automated deployment workflows. Tunnels can be configured through the Cloudflare dashboard, API, Terraform, or local configuration files, with integrations for Kubernetes, Ansible, AWS, Azure, GCP, Cloudflare One, Workers VPC, Load Balancing, Access, Spectrum, Cloudflare for SaaS, and Hyperdrive. Private network routing extends the model to internal IP ranges and services. Choose Cloudflare Tunnel when outbound connectivity, edge protection, protocol coverage, and Cloudflare integration are priorities. Consider another reverse proxy when you want a standalone product outside the Cloudflare ecosystem or need broader functionality in one independently managed service.
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Cloudflare Tunnel pricing
Cloudflare Tunnel fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Deployment model | Both |
| TLS termination | Not verified |
| Web application firewall | Yes |
| Response caching | Yes |
| Configuration method | Both |
| WebSocket support | Yes |
| Rate limiting | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 13 integrations: Cloudflare One, Workers VPC, Load Balancing, Cloudflare Access, Spectrum, Cloudflare for SaaS … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | cloudflare.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Cloudflare Tunnel integrations
Cloudflare Tunnel lists 13 integrations on its own site.
- Cloudflare One
- Workers VPC
- Load Balancing
- Cloudflare Access
- Spectrum
- Cloudflare for SaaS
- Hyperdrive
- Terraform
- Kubernetes
- Ansible
- AWS
- Azure
- GCP
See all Cloudflare Tunnel integrations →
Alternatives to Cloudflare Tunnel
- NGINXA flexible self-hosted reverse proxy with caching, load balancing, TLS, and protocol support.9.3
- HAProxy Community EditionA capable reverse proxy for teams managing high-volume TCP and HTTP traffic themselves.9.1
- Traefik ProxyA broad self-hosted proxy for dynamic discovery, multi-protocol routing, and cloud-native operations.8.8
See all Cloudflare Tunnel alternatives →
Cloudflare Tunnel vs the competition
- Cloudflare Tunnel vs NGINX
- Cloudflare Tunnel vs HAProxy Community Edition
- Cloudflare Tunnel vs Traefik Proxy
- Cloudflare Tunnel vs Nginx Proxy Manager
- Cloudflare Tunnel vs Apache Traffic Server
- Cloudflare Tunnel vs Caddy
Compare Cloudflare Tunnel with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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