Networking

Using Cloudflare to Connect

We care deeply about decentralization. Today, we use Cloudflare tunnels as a default because the network is still small and needs protection from attacks like DDoS while we scale provider count and build decentralized tunnel hosting.

Setup

Install Cloudflared and connect

You’ll install Cloudflared, run the local tunnel helper, then SSH into your VM.

Install Cloudflared (Homebrew):
brew install cloudflare/cloudflare/cloudflared
Start the tunnel helper:
cloudflared access ssh --hostname vm-123.linqprotocol.com
SSH into the VM:
ssh -i ~/.ssh/linq_vm.pem [email protected]
Optional: ~/.ssh/config shortcut
Host linq-vm HostName vm-123.linqprotocol.com User ubuntu IdentityFile ~/.ssh/linq_vm.pem ProxyCommand cloudflared access ssh --hostname %h
Make sure Cloudflared is installed before using the ProxyCommand configuration.
Why now

Why we default to Cloudflare today

Pragmatic stability while we scale the decentralized network.

DDoS resilience

Early-stage networks are easier targets. Cloudflare helps absorb attacks while we grow node count and geographic distribution.

Global reach

Cloudflare’s edge network provides stable connectivity and latency while we build a larger decentralized footprint.

Operational stability

Providers can ship production workloads with predictable uptime while we harden decentralized tunnel hosting.

Roadmap

Decentralized tunnels are the goal

Our long-term plan is a decentralized tunnel layer operated by providers in the network. As the provider fleet grows, we’ll introduce new tunnel options that allow nodes to opt out of centralized networking providers.

The default today is Cloudflare because it delivers the best protection and reliability while the network is small. This is a pragmatic choice - not the end state.

We’ll keep this page updated as decentralized tunnel hosting rolls out.

Ready to deploy?

You get the reliability of Cloudflare today and the benefits of decentralization as the network matures.

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