Container Cloudflare Tunnel

A Docker Compose container setup for a Cloudflare Tunnel. This setup allows you to securely expose a local service to the internet using Cloudflare's infrastructure.

Table of Contents

• Container Cloudflare Tunnel
  • Table of Contents
  • Introduction
  • Setup
    • Requirements
    • Environment Variables
      • How to Obtain the Cloudflare Tunnel Token
    • Hosts Configuration
  • Usage
    • Starting the Container
    • Stopping the Container
    • Viewing Logs
    • Cleanup
  • Real-World Example: Hosting a Website Locally with Cloudflare Tunnel
  • Security Notes
  • License
  • Additional Resources

Introduction

Cloudflare Tunnel provides a secure way to expose a web server running on your local network to the public internet. This can be particularly useful for development, accessing internal services remotely, or securely publishing a service without opening ports on your router. The container in this project sets up a Cloudflare Tunnel, making it simple to deploy.

Setup

Requirements

• Docker
• Docker Compose

This setup assumes that Cloudflare is the DNS provider for your domain.

Environment Variables

Add the missing information for the environment variables in the .env file:

CLOUDFLARE_TUNNEL_TOKEN=''

• CLOUDFLARE_TUNNEL_TOKEN: This token is provided by Cloudflare when you create a new tunnel. Replace '' with your actual token.

How to Obtain the Cloudflare Tunnel Token

To get the Cloudflare Tunnel token, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Cloudflare Dashboard.
2. Navigate to the Zero Trust section or Access section (depending on the Cloudflare interface).
3. Select Tunnels from the navigation menu.
4. Click on Create a Tunnel.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to name your tunnel and select your desired configuration.
6. Once the tunnel is created, Cloudflare will provide a Tunnel Token. Copy this token and paste it into the .env file under CLOUDFLARE_TUNNEL_TOKEN.

Make sure to edit the .env file and add your specific token:

nano .env

To prevent .env from being tracked by version control, run the following command:

git update-index --assume-unchanged .env

Hosts Configuration

Modify the hosts file if needed to define any custom hostname mappings:

nano config/hosts

Add any additional hosts that need to be mapped within the container. To avoid tracking changes to this file, run:

git update-index --assume-unchanged config/hosts

Usage

Starting the Container

To start the Cloudflare Tunnel container, run:

docker compose up -d

This command will start the container in detached mode.

Stopping the Container

To stop the running container, use:

docker compose down

Viewing Logs

To view the logs for the running container, which can help with troubleshooting:

docker logs cloudflare-tunnel

Cleanup

If you want to remove all containers, networks, and associated volumes:

docker compose down --volumes --remove-orphans

Real-World Example: Hosting a Website Locally with Cloudflare Tunnel

If you're looking for a step-by-step guide on how to use Cloudflare Tunnel in a real-world scenario, check out this blog post by John Wuller (@2br-2b):

How to Host a Webpage Locally Using Cloudflare Tunnels, Apache, and Docker

In this tutorial, John demonstrates:

• Setting up a local webpage with Apache and Docker.
• Configuring a Cloudflare Tunnel to securely expose the webpage to the internet without requiring port forwarding.

Security Notes

• Environment Variables: Ensure that .env files are not shared or tracked in version control, as they may contain sensitive information such as API tokens or credentials.
• Sensitive Files: Always keep sensitive files like .env secure and ensure they are not exposed publicly.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 (LGPLv3). It is distributed "as is", without warranty of any kind. You are free to use, modify, and distribute this software under the terms specified in the LGPLv3.

See the LICENSE file for more detailed information.

Additional Resources

• Cloudflare Tunnel Documentation: Learn more about how Cloudflare Tunnel works and its various use cases.
• Docker Documentation: Official Docker documentation for commands and features used in this setup.