--- description: Create and configure a locally-managed Cloudflare Tunnel. title: Create a locally-managed tunnel image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png --- [Skip to content](#main-content) > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Create a locally-managed tunnel Last updated Aug 24, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/create-local-tunnel/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/) Follow this step-by-step guide to get your first tunnel up and running using the CLI. ## Prerequisites Before you start, make sure you: * [Add a website to Cloudflare](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/manage-domains/add-site/). * [Change your domain nameservers to Cloudflare](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/dns/zone-setups/full-setup/setup/). ## 1\. Download and install `cloudflared` 1. Download `cloudflared` on your machine. Visit the [downloads](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/downloads/) page to find the right package for your OS. 2. Rename the executable to `cloudflared.exe` 3. In PowerShell, change directory to your Downloads folder and run `.\cloudflared.exe --version`. It should output the version of `cloudflared`. Note that `cloudflared.exe` could be `cloudflared-windows-amd64.exe` or `cloudflared-windows-386.exe` if you have not renamed it. ```powershell PS C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\cloudflared-stable-windows-amd64> .\cloudflared.exe --version ``` To download and install `cloudflared`: ```sh brew install cloudflared ``` Alternatively, you can [download the latest Darwin amd64 release](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/downloads/) directly. **Debian and Ubuntu APT** Use the apt package manager to install `cloudflared` on compatible machines. 1. Add Cloudflare's package signing key: ```sh sudo mkdir -p --mode=0755 /usr/share/keyrings curl -fsSL https://pkg.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-main.gpg | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/cloudflare-main.gpg >/dev/null ``` 1. Add Cloudflare's apt repo to your apt repositories: ```sh echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/cloudflare-main.gpg] https://pkg.cloudflare.com/cloudflared any main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cloudflared.list ``` 1. Update repositories and install cloudflared: ```sh sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install cloudflared ``` **RHEL RPM** Use the rpm package manager to install `cloudflared` on compatible machines. 1. Add Cloudflare's repository: ```sh curl -fsSl https://pkg.cloudflare.com/cloudflared.repo | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/cloudflared.repo ``` 2. Update repositories and install cloudflared: ```sh sudo yum update && sudo yum install cloudflared ``` **Arch Linux** `cloudflared` is in the Arch Linux [community repository ↗](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/official%5Frepositories#community). Use `pacman` to install `cloudflared` on compatible machines. ```sh pacman -Syu cloudflared ``` **Other** Alternatively you can download the `cloudflared` binary or the linux packages to your machine and install manually. Visit the [downloads](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/downloads/) page to find the right package for your OS. To build the latest version of `cloudflared` from source: ```sh git clone https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared.git cd cloudflared make cloudflared go install github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/cmd/cloudflared ``` Depending on where you installed `cloudflared`, you can move it to a known path as well. ```sh mv /root/cloudflared/cloudflared /usr/bin/cloudflared ``` ## 2\. Authenticate `cloudflared` ```sh cloudflared tunnel login ``` Running this command will: * Open a browser window and prompt you to log in to your Cloudflare account. After logging in to your account, select your hostname. * Generate an account certificate, the [cert.pem file](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/local-tunnel-terms/#certpem), in the [default cloudflared directory](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/local-tunnel-terms/#default-cloudflared-directory). ## 3\. Create a tunnel and give it a name ```sh cloudflared tunnel create ``` Running this command will: * Create a tunnel by establishing a persistent relationship between the name you provide and a UUID for your tunnel. At this point, no connection is active within the tunnel yet. * Generate a [tunnel credentials file](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/local-tunnel-terms/#credentials-file) in the [default cloudflared directory](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/local-tunnel-terms/#default-cloudflared-directory). * Create a subdomain of `.cfargotunnel.com`. From the output of the command, take note of the tunnel's UUID and the path to your tunnel's credentials file. Confirm that the tunnel has been successfully created by running: ```sh cloudflared tunnel list ``` ## 4\. Create a configuration file 1. In your `.cloudflared` directory, create a [config.yml file](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/configuration-file/) using any text editor. This file will configure the tunnel to route traffic from a given origin to the hostname of your choice. 2. Add the following fields to the file: ```yml url: http://localhost:8000 tunnel: credentials-file: /root/.cloudflared/.json ``` 3. Confirm that the configuration file has been successfully created by running: ```sh cat config.yml ``` ## 5\. Start routing traffic To route a [published application](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/routing/) through the tunnel: ```sh cloudflared tunnel route dns ``` This command will create a `CNAME` record pointing to `.cfargotunnel.com`. ## 6\. Run the tunnel Run the tunnel to proxy incoming traffic from the tunnel to any number of services running locally on your origin. ```sh cloudflared tunnel run ``` If your configuration file has a custom name or is not in the `.cloudflared` directory, add the `--config` flag and specify the path. ```sh cloudflared tunnel --config /path/your-config-file.yml run ``` Note Cloudflare Tunnel can install itself as a system service on Linux and Windows and as a launch agent on macOS. For more information, refer to [run as a service](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/as-a-service/). ## 7\. Check the tunnel To get information on the tunnel you just created, run: ```sh cloudflared tunnel info ``` Looking for private network routing? For Cloudflare One Client private network access, refer to the [Cloudflare One Tunnel documentation](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/networks/connectors/cloudflare-tunnel/do-more-with-tunnels/local-management/configuration-file/#file-structure-for-private-networks). Was this helpful? YesNo ## On this page [![](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/_astro/logo.te5VL_aD.svg)Docs](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","@id":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/create-local-tunnel/#page","headline":"Create a locally-managed tunnel · Cloudflare Docs","description":"Create and configure a locally-managed Cloudflare Tunnel.","url":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/advanced/local-management/create-local-tunnel/","inLanguage":"en","image":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png","dateModified":"2026-08-24","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Cloudflare","description":"One platform for your apps, agents, and workforce. 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