cloudflared.exe tunnel route dns my-first-tunnel myapp.yourdomain.com This creates a DNS record at Cloudflare pointing to the tunnel. Create a configuration file config.yml in %USERPROFILE%\.cloudflared\ :
Now, route traffic to a local service. For example, if you run a web app on localhost:3000 :
Open or PowerShell and navigate to where cloudflared.exe lives, then run: cloudflared-windows-amd64.exe
– Ensure outbound TCP port 443 (HTTPS) and UDP 443 are allowed for cloudflared.exe . 10. Updating Cloudflared Cloudflared updates frequently. To update manually:
cloudflared.exe tunnel --url http://localhost:3000 Cloudflare gives you a random https://random-name.trycloudflare.com URL. This uses Cloudflare’s Quick Tunnels feature—no authentication, no config. “Access is denied” – Run Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator when installing the service or writing to Program Files . cloudflared
– Check logs: cloudflared.exe tunnel run --config C:\path\to\config.yml my-first-tunnel (run manually first).
net start cloudflared Or use the Services GUI ( services.msc ). The service automatically runs at boot. | Local Service | Example URL | Config service line | |------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------| | IIS (default website) | http://localhost:80 | service: http://localhost:80 | | Node.js dev server | http://localhost:3000 | service: http://localhost:3000 | | Jellyfin / Plex | http://localhost:8096 | service: http://localhost:8096 | | SMB / RDP (via Access) | tcp://localhost:3389 | service: tcp://localhost:3389 | | SSH | tcp://localhost:22 | service: tcp://localhost:22 | This tool creates secure
Enter and its Windows executable: cloudflared-windows-amd64.exe . This tool creates secure, outbound-only tunnels from your Windows PC to Cloudflare’s global edge network. No open firewall ports. No static IP required. Just fast, encrypted access from anywhere.
– Cloudflared does not listen on ports locally (it connects outbound). The error may be your local web server.