README

Cloudflare Tunnel (formerly Argo Tunnel) enables:

• Outbound-only connections - No inbound ports or firewall changes
• Public hostname routing - Expose local services to internet
• Private network access - Connect internal networks via WARP
• Zero Trust integration - Built-in access policies

Architecture: Tunnel (persistent object) → Replica (cloudflared process) → Origin services

Terminology:

• Tunnel: Named persistent object with UUID
• Replica: Individual cloudflared process connected to tunnel
• Config Source: Where ingress rules stored (local file vs Cloudflare dashboard)
• Connector: Legacy term for replica

Quick Start

Local Config

Dashboard Config (Recommended)

1. Zero Trust > Networks > Tunnels > Create
2. Name tunnel, copy token
3. Configure routes in dashboard
4. Run: cloudflared tunnel --no-autoupdate run --token <TOKEN>

Decision Tree

Choose config source:

Core Commands

Configuration Example

Reading Order

New to Cloudflare Tunnel:

1. This README (overview, quick start)
2. networking.md - Firewall rules, connectivity pre-checks
3. configuration.md - Config file options, ingress rules
4. patterns.md - Docker, Kubernetes, production deployment
5. gotchas.md - Troubleshooting, best practices

Enterprise deployment:

1. networking.md - Corporate firewall requirements
2. gotchas.md - HA setup, security best practices
3. patterns.md - Kubernetes, rolling updates

Programmatic control:

1. api.md - REST API, TypeScript SDK

In This Reference

• networking.md - Firewall rules, ports, connectivity pre-checks
• configuration.md - Config file options, ingress rules, TLS settings
• api.md - REST API, TypeScript SDK, token-based tunnels
• patterns.md - Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, HA, use cases
• gotchas.md - Troubleshooting, limitations, best practices

See Also

• workers (opens in a new tab) - Workers with Tunnel integration
• access (opens in a new tab) - Zero Trust access policies
• warp (opens in a new tab) - WARP client for private networks