Pangolin: Free Open Source Alternative to Cloudflare Tunnels

Quick Overview

The video successfully demonstrates deploying the open-source reverse proxy and VPN solution, Pangolin, using the Elestio platform, which involves setting up DNS records, running an installation script, and configuring a site resource to expose a local React application running on port 5174 to the internet securely via HTTPS.

Key Points: Pangolin, an open-source, identity-based remote access platform built on WireGuard, is deployed as a free alternative to Cloudflare Tunnels using Elestio's managed service. The deployment process requires setting up a wildcard DNS A record pointing to the VM's IP address on a custom domain provider (Cloudflare was used for the example domain 'causticlab.com'). After service creation on Elestio, the user executes a script via the terminal ( ) to finalize the Pangolin setup, inputting the base domain ('demo-pangolin.causticlab.com'). A new resource is created in Elestio under the 'Sites' section, named 'react three fiber', using the recommended 'Newt Tunnel' for connectivity. The local React application, running on port 5174, is exposed by configuring the resource's target to 'localhost:5174' via HTTP, which is then routed through the Pangolin tunnel. After saving the configuration, the deployed application is confirmed accessible online via the custom subdomain URL: https://myproject.demo-pangolin.causticlab.com.

Context: The video provides a detailed tutorial on setting up Pangolin, an open-source identity-based remote access platform that utilizes WireGuard technology, as a free alternative to commercial solutions like Cloudflare Tunnels. The demonstration is conducted entirely within the Elestio cloud management interface, showcasing how to provision the Pangolin service, configure necessary networking prerequisites (DNS), and then deploy a sample local application (a React/Three Fiber project) through the established secure tunnel.

Detailed Analysis

The tutorial begins by navigating to Elestio to deploy Pangolin, an open-source alternative to Cloudflare Tunnels. The deployment starts by selecting Pangolin from the available services (0:05), choosing a provider (Netcup is selected, 1:01), region, and service plan (MEDIUM-2C-4G, 1:03). After initiating deployment (0:56), the user receives an email confirming the service is ready (1:20). The critical next step involves configuring DNS, as Pangolin requires a custom domain; the user navigates to Cloudflare (1:54) to add a wildcard A record (e.g., .demo-pangolin.causticlab.com) pointing to the VM's IP address (1:44). Following DNS setup, the user returns to the Elestio dashboard, opens the terminal for the new Pangolin instance (2:39), and runs the provided installation script ( ) (2:54), entering the base domain ('demo-pangolin.causticlab.com') when prompted (3:17). After the script successfully establishes the tunnel connection (5:55), the user creates a new 'Site' named 'react three fiber' (4:07) and configures the resource proxy settings (6:24). The resource is set to proxy HTTP requests using a subdomain ('myproject.demo-pangolin.causticlab.com') (6:38) to the local development server running on port 5174 (4:42). After saving the targets configuration, the application is accessible securely via HTTPS (7:45) at the custom URL, confirming the successful setup of Pangolin as a reverse proxy.