A Simple Desktop UI for Cloudflare Tunnels (RDP, SSH, TCP)

Source: Dev.to

Overview

Cloudflare Tunnel (cloudflared) is an amazing tool—lightweight, secure, fast, and perfect for exposing local services without opening ports or managing firewalls.

The problem:
Tunnels are powerful, but the CLI/YAML workflow isn’t always convenient for quick, ad‑hoc usage. When you want to open an RDP session, temporarily expose an SSH service, or forward a TCP port for a teammate, you often have to:

• Write or edit a YAML file
• Remember a set of CLI flags
• Manage multiple tunnel processes manually

Prototype

I explored a simple idea: What if cloudflared had a tiny, friendly desktop UI?
Something minimal, cross‑platform, and one‑click. A small helper tool—not a replacement for the CLI—but a shortcut for common tunneling tasks.

The prototype is available at:
https://github.com/mlanies/desktop-argo-tunnel

Dashboard

What the App Does

The UI focuses on the most common use cases:

• Launch an RDP tunnel
• Launch an SSH tunnel
• Launch a TCP tunnel

Features

• View connection parameters
• Start/stop tunnels with a single button

No YAML. No terminal commands. Just “Start tunnel” and “Stop tunnel”. Internally it still uses cloudflared; the app simply generates the right arguments and manages the process lifecycle.

Why Build This?

I noticed several recurring pain points among developers and sysadmins:

• Quick access should be easy – For one‑time tunnels, writing YAML feels unnecessary.
• Not everyone on a team is comfortable with CLI – A UI helps junior engineers, support staff, or remote colleagues.
• Great for demos, remote assistance, and small internal setups – Some people just need an SSH or RDP tunnel right now, not a full Zero Trust enrollment.
• Makes Cloudflare Tunnel more accessible – A friendly UI lowers the entry barrier.

Technical Details

The prototype is built with:

• Go – for calling and managing the cloudflared binary
• Electron – for a clean, simple interface
• Cross‑platform intent – Windows/macOS supported; Linux coming soon

The project is experimental but functional.

Looking for Feedback

I would love to hear your thoughts:

• Should Cloudflare consider an official desktop UI for tunnels?
• What features should such a tool include?
• Would your workflow benefit from one‑click RDP/SSH/TCP tunneling?
• Any UX suggestions for the app?

I’m actively collecting feedback to shape the next iteration.

Thanks for reading, and huge respect to the Cloudflare team for building an amazing tunneling ecosystem!