# Cloudflare Quick Tunnel Alternative: Private App Links That Expire > qURL vs Cloudflare quick tunnels: neither needs an account, but trycloudflare.com URLs are public by default. qURL links expire and are single-use by default. Source: https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-cloudflare-quick-tunnels/ --- [← All Comparisons](https://layerv.ai/compare/) # 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](https://layerv.ai/data/localhost-tunnels/tunnels.json) 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 CLI ``` qurl publish http://127.0.0.1:3000 qurl share ``` Cloudflare Quick Tunnel (trycloudflare.com) ``` cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8080 ``` ## qURL and Cloudflare Quick Tunnels, side by side __qURL CLI compared with Cloudflare Quick Tunnel (trycloudflare.com), with the source for each value__ | Question | qURL CLI | Cloudflare Quick Tunnel (trycloudflare.com) | | ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Account needed before the first URL | No. The first publish creates the device identity [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | No [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | | What the URL looks like | A qurl.link access link per recipient; the app answers at r\_.qurl.site, a name absent from Certificate Transparency logs [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | Temporary \*.trycloudflare.com hostname; changes each run [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | | 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](https://layerv.ai/docs/qurls.md) | Public, unless --allowed-mail is set [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | | Warning page shown to visitors | None [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | Not documented [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | | 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](https://layerv.ai/docs/qurls.md) | Optional --allowed-mail email one-time PIN (browsers only; change it by restarting cloudflared) [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | | 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](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | No; the URL works until cloudflared stops [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | | Single-use links | Yes, the default for qurl share [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | Not documented [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | | Protocols | HTTP(S), WebSocket, SSE; no raw TCP [our test](https://layerv.ai/research/qurl-behaviour) | HTTP(S); Server-Sent Events not supported [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | | Free-tier limits | Without an account: up to 3 active resources, with links that last up to 24 hours [github.com](https://github.com/layervai/qurl-integrations/blob/main/apps/cli/README.md) | 200 in-flight requests; no uptime guarantee; for testing and development [developers.cloudflare.com](https://developers.cloudflare.com/tunnel/get-started/quick-tunnels/) | ## 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. ## Related Resources [Cloudflare Tunnel alternatives →](https://layerv.ai/compare/cloudflare-tunnel-alternatives/) [Deploy a preview or share localhost? →](https://layerv.ai/compare/deploy-preview-vs-share-localhost/) [Every localhost tunnel, compared →](https://layerv.ai/compare/localhost-tunnels/) [Cloudflare Tunnel vs ngrok vs Tailscale Funnel →](https://layerv.ai/compare/cloudflare-tunnel-vs-ngrok-vs-tailscale-funnel/) [qURL vs ngrok →](https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-ngrok/) [qURL vs Tailscale Funnel →](https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-tailscale-funnel/) [qURL vs Cloudflare Tunnel + Access →](https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-cloudflare-tunnel-access/) [LayerV vs Cloudflare Access →](https://layerv.ai/compare/layerv-vs-cloudflare-access/) [Guide: Share localhost without signing up →](https://layerv.ai/guides/share-localhost-without-signup/) [Cloudflare docs: Quick Tunnels ↗](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/networks/connectors/cloudflare-tunnel/do-more-with-tunnels/trycloudflare/) [Proofpoint: Cloudflare tunnels abused to deliver RATs ↗](https://www.proofpoint.com/us/blog/threat-insight/threat-actor-abuses-cloudflare-tunnels-deliver-rats) [Guide: switch from a Cloudflare quick tunnel →](https://layerv.ai/guides/switch-from-cloudflare-quick-tunnel/) ## 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. [Get the agent prompt ↗](https://layerv.ai/vibe-coding/) [Install the CLI ↗](https://layerv.ai/cli/) New to qURL? Start at [qurl.link ](https://qurl.link/) --- *This markdown version is auto-generated from [https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-cloudflare-quick-tunnels/](https://layerv.ai/compare/qurl-vs-cloudflare-quick-tunnels/) for AI agents. Curated agent resources: [llms.txt](https://layerv.ai/llms.txt). For the full interactive experience, visit the HTML version.*