qURL™ vs Cloudflare Quick Tunnels
Both skip the account. Only one keeps the app off the public internet.
Neither tool needs an account. cloudflared tunnel --url gives your app a random trycloudflare.com address that works for anyone who has it until you stop cloudflared, unless you add --allowed-mail. qURL gives the app no public address: each recipient gets an access link that is single-use by default and expires within 24 hours.
Facts checked October 1, 2026 against each vendor’s documentation. Download the data
Cloudflare quick tunnels and the qURL CLI are both one command away from something you can send. The difference is what you send: a public address for the app, or a private link for one person.
How qURL and Cloudflare Quick Tunnels differ
A quick tunnel runs cloudflared on your machine and gives the app a temporary hostname under trycloudflare.com. The hostname changes every run and stops working when cloudflared stops. Cloudflare positions quick tunnels for testing and development: there is no uptime guarantee, each tunnel handles up to 200 in-flight requests (more return 429), and Server-Sent Events are not supported.
By default the address is public. The --allowed-mail flag puts an emailed one-time PIN in front of it for browser visitors; changing who is allowed means restarting cloudflared. Attackers have abused them too: Proofpoint reported a campaign cluster, first seen in February 2024, that used TryCloudflare tunnels to deliver remote-access trojans.
qURL keeps the app off the public internet. qurl publish prints the app’s CRID, and qurl share turns it into an access link for one recipient that is single-use by default and expires within 24 hours. The link carries the access decision, so there is no allowlist to restart. In our test, Server-Sent Events, WebSockets, and streamed responses passed through a qURL link unbuffered.
From a running app to a link you can send
qurl publish http://127.0.0.1:3000
qurl share <CRID>cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8080qURL and Cloudflare Quick Tunnels, side by side
| Question | qURL CLI | Cloudflare Quick Tunnel (trycloudflare.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed before the first URL | No. The first publish creates the device identity our test | No developers.cloudflare.com |
| What the URL looks like | A qurl.link access link per recipient; the app answers at r_<id>.qurl.site, a name absent from Certificate Transparency logs our test | Temporary *.trycloudflare.com hostname; changes each run developers.cloudflare.com |
| Who can reach it | No one until a link is opened; then the opener’s public IP for that session, including other devices behind that IP layerv.ai | Public, unless --allowed-mail is set developers.cloudflare.com |
| Warning page shown to visitors | None our test | Not documented developers.cloudflare.com |
| Visitor access control | Single-use access link by default; link and session lifetimes. IP allow and deny lists and other rules can gate links through the API, not the CLI layerv.ai | Optional --allowed-mail email one-time PIN (browsers only; change it by restarting cloudflared) developers.cloudflare.com |
| Link expiry | Yes. qurl share returned a 24-hour link in our no-account test; no-account links are capped at 24 hours our test | No; the URL works until cloudflared stops developers.cloudflare.com |
| Single-use links | Yes, the default for qurl share our test | Not documented developers.cloudflare.com |
| Protocols | HTTP(S), WebSocket, SSE; no raw TCP our test | HTTP(S); Server-Sent Events not supported developers.cloudflare.com |
| Free-tier limits | Without an account: up to 3 active resources, with links that last up to 24 hours github.com | 200 in-flight requests; no uptime guarantee; for testing and development developers.cloudflare.com |
Which one to use
Choose qURL to
Share a dev server or preview with specific people or agents, keep it off public hostnames, and let each link end on its own. qURL also suits apps that stream Server-Sent Events, which quick tunnels do not support.
When Cloudflare is the better choice
Choose a quick tunnel for a throwaway public demo that anyone may open, or for callers that cannot open a link in a browser or SDK, such as webhook senders. For a stable public hostname on your own domain, use a named Cloudflare Tunnel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Cloudflare quick tunnels need an account?
No. Cloudflare’s documentation says you do not need a Cloudflare account or a domain. The qURL CLI also publishes without an account; without one you get up to 3 active resources, with links that last up to 24 hours.
Is a trycloudflare.com URL private?
No, unless you start the tunnel with --allowed-mail. Anyone who has or finds the URL can request the app until cloudflared stops. With --allowed-mail, browser visitors must enter an emailed one-time PIN; Cloudflare notes that non-interactive clients are not supported.
Do quick tunnels support Server-Sent Events?
No. Cloudflare’s quick tunnel documentation says quick tunnels do not support Server-Sent Events. In our test, Server-Sent Events through a qURL link arrived unbuffered.
How long does a trycloudflare.com URL last?
Until you stop the cloudflared process; the next run gets a new random hostname. A qURL link has its own expiry, 24 hours by default, and with no flags it can be opened only once.
How is this different from a public tunnel?
A public tunnel exposes an endpoint and can protect it with authentication. With LayerV, your local app stays hidden from public scans. You create a private, expiring way in for one resource at a time. A teammate or AI agent can use the app without a public deployment or access to your wider network.
Who can open a qURL link?
Whoever holds it, once: with no flags, qurl share prints a single-use link. Opening it admits the network address it was opened from for the session, which lasts 1 hour by default for an app published from the CLI. Other devices on the same public IP address, such as an office or café network, can reach the app until the session ends, so keep your app’s own sign-in for anything sensitive. By default a link admits whoever opens it; access rules set through the API, such as IP allow and deny lists, can restrict that.
Can my coding agent share my app with qURL?
Yes. Give Claude Code, Cursor, or Windsurf the qURL skill (https://layerv.ai/skills/qurl/SKILL.md) and ask it to share the app: it installs the qurl CLI, publishes the app privately, and gives you an address to send. The agent applies the private access rules you choose. For named recipients, give it their email addresses so it can send invitations. Recipients verify their email in the browser and save a passkey; they never send you their email verification code. The agent checks policy support before sharing and keeps the app private if the deployment cannot support it. For one person right away, ask it for a one-time link instead. Codex starts with network access off, so save the skill file for it first.
Share your app without an account
Paste one prompt into your coding agent, or install the qURL CLI and publish the app yourself. No sign-up, no API key.
New to qURL? Start at qurl.link