---
description: Client-side cloudflared in Access.
title: Client-side cloudflared
image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png
---

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# Client-side cloudflared

Last updated Aug 24, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/applications/non-http/cloudflared-authentication/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/)

With Cloudflare Zero Trust, users can connect to non-HTTP applications via a public hostname without installing the Cloudflare One Client. This method requires you to onboard a domain to Cloudflare and install `cloudflared` on both the server and the user's device.

Users log in to the application by running a `cloudflared access` command in their terminal. `cloudflared` will launch a browser window and prompt the user to authenticate with your identity provider.

Note

Automated services should only authenticate with `cloudflared` if they cannot use a [service token](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/service-credentials/service-tokens/). Cloudflared authentication relies on WebSockets to establish a connection. WebSockets have a known limitation where persistent connections may close unexpectedly. We recommend either a [Service Auth policy](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/policies/#service-auth) or using [Warp to Tunnel routing](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/applications/non-http/) in these instances.

For examples of how to connect to Access applications with client-side `cloudflared`, refer to these tutorials:

* [Connect through Access using a CLI](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/tutorials/cli/)
* [Connect through Access using kubectl](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/tutorials/kubectl/)
* [Connect to SSH with client-side cloudflared](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/networks/connectors/cloudflare-tunnel/use-cases/ssh/ssh-cloudflared-authentication/)
* [Connect over RDP with cloudflared](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/networks/connectors/cloudflare-tunnel/use-cases/rdp/#connect-to-rdp-server-with-cloudflared-access)
* [Connect over SMB with cloudflared](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/networks/connectors/cloudflare-tunnel/use-cases/smb/)
* [Connect over arbitrary TCP with cloudflared](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/applications/non-http/cloudflared-authentication/arbitrary-tcp/)

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