Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel is a tool that securely connects private networks and applications to the Cloudflare network without exposing public IP addresses or opening firewall ports. It creates an outbound-only connection from an origin server to Cloudflare, allowing services to be accessed over the internet through Cloudflare's global edge network. This provides security, performance, and reliability benefits by leveraging Cloudflare's infrastructure.
Developers should use Cloudflare Tunnel when they need to securely expose internal services (like web apps, APIs, or databases) to the internet without managing complex firewall rules or exposing servers directly. It's ideal for scenarios requiring zero-trust security, such as remote access to development environments, protecting legacy applications, or simplifying hybrid cloud deployments. It also helps avoid DDoS attacks and improves latency by routing traffic through Cloudflare's edge.