FlareDeskDocs

Tunnel

Expose your local dev server to the internet

Tunnel lets you expose your local development server to the internet using Cloudflare Tunnel. Perfect for testing webhooks, sharing with teammates, or testing on mobile devices.

Use Cases

Webhook Testing

Receive webhooks from external services like Stripe or GitHub

Share with Team

Let teammates test your local changes

Mobile Testing

Access your local server from a phone or tablet

Client Demos

Show work-in-progress to clients without deploying

Requirements

The tunnel feature requires cloudflared CLI to be installed:

# Install with Homebrew
brew install cloudflared

FlareDesk will check if cloudflared is installed and prompt you if it's missing.

Starting a Tunnel

  1. 1

    Make sure your dev server is running

  2. 2

    Navigate to Tunnel in the sidebar

  3. 3

    Click "Start Tunnel"

  4. 4

    Wait for the tunnel to establish (a few seconds)

  5. 5

    Copy the public URL that appears

Your public URL:
https://random-name.trycloudflare.com
Note: The URL is randomly generated each time you start a tunnel. It will change when you restart.

Stopping the Tunnel

  1. 1

    Click "Stop Tunnel"

  2. 2

    The public URL will be deactivated immediately

Example: Testing Webhooks

To test webhooks from services like Stripe or GitHub:

  1. 1

    Start your tunnel to get a public URL

  2. 2

    Configure the webhook URL in the external service

  3. 3

    Trigger the webhook (e.g., test event in Stripe)

  4. 4

    View the request in FlareDesk's Request Logs

# Example webhook URL for Stripe
https://random-name.trycloudflare.com/webhooks/stripe

Security Considerations

Temporary URLs: Tunnel URLs are temporary and expire when you stop the tunnel. Don't use them for permanent integrations.
Public access: Anyone with the URL can access your local server. Be careful what you expose.
Development only: Tunnels are for development and testing. Don't use them for production traffic.

Next Steps

Learn about Project Settings