Getting Started with Cloudflare Zero Trust Tunnel

Introduction

In today's digital age, secure and reliable access to your applications is more important than ever. Docker, a platform for developing, shipping, and running applications inside containers, paired with Cloudflare's Zero Trust Tunnel, provides a robust solution for securing and managing access to your applications. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of installing Docker and setting up a Cloudflare Zero Trust Tunnel.

Prerequisites

Before we dive in, make sure you have the following:

A server or local machine running a Linux-based operating system (Ubuntu is a popular choice).
Administrative (root) access to your machine.
A Cloudflare account.

Step 1: Installing Docker

First things first, let's get Docker installed. Docker simplifies application deployment by using containers, which are lightweight, portable, and efficient.

Update Your System: Ensure your system is up-to-date.
```
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
```

Install Docker: Run the following commands to install Docker.

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common -y
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce -y

Verify Docker Installation: Check if Docker is installed correctly.
```
sudo systemctl status docker
```
You should see Docker is active and running.
Manage Docker as a Non-Root User: Add your user to the Docker group.
```
sudo usermod -aG docker ${USER}
```
Log out and log back in to apply the changes.

Step 2: Setting Up Cloudflare Zero Trust Tunnel

Now that Docker is up and running, let's move on to setting up a Cloudflare Zero Trust Tunnel. This tunnel will allow secure access to your applications without exposing them to the internet directly.

Install Cloudflare Tunnel: Download and install the Cloudflare Tunnel (formerly Argo Tunnel) client.
```
sudo apt install cloudflared -y
```
Authenticate Cloudflare: Authenticate your Cloudflare account.
```
cloudflared login
```
This command will open a browser window asking you to log in to your Cloudflare account and select the domain you want to use.
Create a Tunnel: Create a new tunnel.
```
cloudflared tunnel create my-tunnel
```
This command generates a new tunnel and returns a tunnel ID.

Configure the Tunnel: Create a configuration file for the tunnel.

sudo nano /etc/cloudflared/config.yml

Add the following configuration to the file:

tunnel: TUNNEL_ID
credentials-file: /etc/cloudflared/TUNNEL_ID.json

ingress:
  - hostname: example.com
    service: http://localhost:8000
  - service: http_status:404

Replace TUNNEL_ID with the tunnel ID generated earlier and example.com with your domain name.

Run the Tunnel: Start the tunnel using Docker.

docker run -v /etc/cloudflared:/etc/cloudflared cloudflare/cloudflared:latest tunnel --config /etc/cloudflared/config.yml run

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've successfully installed Docker and set up a Cloudflare Zero Trust Tunnel. This combination ensures that your applications are securely containerized and accessible only through a secure tunnel. It's a powerful setup for anyone looking to enhance their application's security and manageability. Happy computing!