How to secure your infrastructure with Cloudflare Zero Trust has become an increasingly important topic in the age of remote work, evolving cyber threats, and complex IT environments. Traditional perimeter-based security models are no longer sufficient. Organizations are shifting to a model where access is never automatically granted even to users inside the network.
Cloudflare Zero Trust provides a scalable and powerful solution that allows businesses to implement identity-aware access controls, safeguard internal resources, and enable secure remote access without relying on legacy VPNs. This article will guide you through the fundamentals of Cloudflare Zero Trust, how it works, and how to deploy it effectively both for small teams and large enterprises.
What Is Cloudflare Zero Trust?
Cloudflare Zero Trust is a modern security framework designed to verify every user, device, and request regardless of their network location before granting access to any resource. This approach replaces outdated perimeter-based models with an identity-driven architecture that significantly reduces the risk of breaches and limits internal threat exposure.
If you’re wondering how to secure with Cloudflare Zero Trust, the answer lies in its core principle: trust no one by default. Every access attempt must meet strict authentication, authorization, and device posture requirements. This ensures that even internal users are treated with the same scrutiny as external connections, creating a consistent and secure environment across all endpoints and services.
Core Features:
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Application-level access policies
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Secure remote access without VPN
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Identity-based access control (Google, Azure AD, GitHub, etc.)
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Device posture enforcement (OS version, antivirus, etc.)
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Traffic logging and analytics
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Seamless integration with existing infrastructure
Why Use Zero Trust?
Modern organizations often rely on hybrid workforces and multi-cloud environments. Traditional security models that trust anything inside the network can no longer handle the dynamic nature of users and threats. Zero Trust helps:
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Prevent unauthorized lateral movement
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Minimize credential abuse
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Improve access visibility and compliance
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Eliminate reliance on fragile perimeter firewalls
Cloudflare Zero Trust Architecture Overview
Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform combines several essential components:
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Access: Control access to internal or private applications
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Gateway: Protect devices by filtering DNS and HTTP traffic
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Tunnel: Securely expose services to the internet without opening ports
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Browser Isolation (optional): Render websites remotely for extra protection
All traffic passes through Cloudflare’s global edge, applying Zero Trust rules consistently, regardless of user location.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Cloudflare Zero Trust
1. Create a Cloudflare Account and Enable Zero Trust
Begin by signing up at the official Cloudflare Zero Trust portal:
https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one
After registration:
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Set your organization name
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Verify your email
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Set up your identity providers
2. Add Your Domain and Route Traffic
To secure applications, your domain must be managed through Cloudflare:
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Log in to https://dash.cloudflare.com
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Add your domain
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Change your DNS records to point to Cloudflare’s nameservers
Once DNS is active, all traffic can be filtered and protected by Cloudflare.
3. Deploy Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel (formerly Argo Tunnel) allows you to expose internal services without opening firewall ports.
wget https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/releases/latest/download/cloudflared-linux-amd64.deb sudo dpkg -i cloudflared-linux-amd64.deb cloudflared tunnel login cloudflared tunnel create internal-app
Then configure your tunnel:
# /etc/cloudflared/config.yml tunnel: internal-app credentials-file: /root/.cloudflared/internal-app.json ingress: - hostname: app.example.com service: http://localhost:<YOUR_PORT> - service: http_status:404
Launch the tunnel:
cloudflared tunnel route dns internal-app app.example.com cloudflared tunnel run internal-app
Your internal service is now securely accessible via https://app.example.com
4. Configure Access Policies
Once the tunnel is running, you can protect it with Access policies:
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Go to Access > Applications
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Click Add an application
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Memilih Self-hosted
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Define rules (e.g., only users with
@company.comdomain) -
Optionally enforce MFA, country-based access, or device checks
Access logs and real-time user monitoring are available in the dashboard.
Real-World Use Cases
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Secure Internal Tools: Protect admin panels, dev environments, and staging sites from unauthorized access
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Remote Team Enablement: Allow secure access to applications without exposing them publicly or relying on legacy VPNs
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Improved Compliance: Enforce device checks and SSO to align with industry regulations (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
Logging and Monitoring
Cloudflare Zero Trust offers full observability over access events, user identities, and session behavior. Logs can be pushed to third-party tools such as:
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AWS S3
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Splunk
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Datadog
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SIEM platforms
Documentation: https://developers.cloudflare.com/logs
Best Practices
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Use identity-based access rather than static IPs
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Enforce MFA on all applications
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Regularly audit access rules and application exposure
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Implement device posture validation
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Monitor logs and integrate with your SIEM for real-time alerts
Looking for Managed Infrastructure?
If you’re planning to implement Cloudflare Zero Trust but also need reliable cloud infrastructure or managed VPS hosting to run your applications, Quape offers customizable solutions that align perfectly with Zero Trust principles.
Whether you need:
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Secure cloud hosting
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Custom VPN-less application exposure
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Remote access environments
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High-performance VPS with custom network rules
All of that is available at Hosting VPS. The Quape technical team can assist with Cloudflare setup, tunnel integration, and secure deployment tailored to your use case.
From startup teams to enterprise environments, Quape enables a seamless foundation for implementing modern security practices like Cloudflare Zero Trust without compromising speed or flexibility.
Pikiran Akhir
Transitioning to a Zero Trust model is not just a security improvement it’s a necessary evolution for modern infrastructure. Cloudflare Zero Trust offers a streamlined, scalable, and identity-driven approach to securing your apps, data, and teams. Combined with robust hosting and infrastructure support from platforms like Quape, building a Zero Trust environment has never been more accessible.
Explore your options today, and take the next step toward a secure, flexible future.
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