Remote Access via Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel is one option for remote access to the ChannelWatch web UI. This page is only about routing traffic to the running ChannelWatch service on port 8501.
When to use Cloudflare Tunnel
Section titled “When to use Cloudflare Tunnel”Use Cloudflare Tunnel if you want to reach the ChannelWatch web UI remotely without direct port forwarding from your router.
This is optional. If you only use ChannelWatch on your local network, or if you already use Tailscale, you may not need a tunnel at all.
What the tunnel points to
Section titled “What the tunnel points to”The tunnel should point to the ChannelWatch web UI on port 8501.
In a common Docker setup, that means routing traffic to the Docker host where ChannelWatch is listening on 8501. ChannelWatch itself still runs as the same container described in Install (Docker Compose).
Create tunnel access to port 8501
Section titled “Create tunnel access to port 8501”- Install and authenticate
cloudflaredon the Docker host - Create a tunnel in your Cloudflare account
- Route a hostname to the local ChannelWatch web UI on port
8501 - Verify that the hostname loads the ChannelWatch sign-in or dashboard page
If ChannelWatch is published from the same host on http://127.0.0.1:8501 or http://localhost:8501, point the tunnel there. If your setup publishes the UI on a host IP instead, use that reachable address on the same port.
Security notes
Section titled “Security notes”Cloudflare Tunnel removes the need for an inbound port-forward rule, but it does not automatically make an unauthenticated UI safe to expose. Treat the public hostname as an internet-facing entry point.
If you publish the UI through a tunnel, put authentication in front of it and review the general setup guidance in First-Run Configuration.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”The tunnel loads an error page
Section titled “The tunnel loads an error page”Confirm that ChannelWatch is actually reachable on port 8501 from the machine running cloudflared.
The hostname resolves, but the UI does not load
Section titled “The hostname resolves, but the UI does not load”Check that the tunnel is pointing to the correct local address and port. The target should be the running ChannelWatch web UI, not another local service.
Remote access works, but DVR checks still fail
Section titled “Remote access works, but DVR checks still fail”Cloudflare Tunnel only solves access to the web UI. It does not change how ChannelWatch reaches your Channels DVR server. For DVR connection problems, see Connecting to Channels DVR and Common Issues.