Reverse Proxy Exposure Strategies: AWS vs. Cloudflare¶
Here’s a clear side-by-side comparison of the 3 options you’re considering to securely expose your API to clients without static IPs, while maintaining full control, performance, and cost-efficiency.
🧮 TL;DR Summary¶
| Feature / Option | 1. Full AWS Setup | 2. Cloudflare Tunnel + AWS EC2 | 3. Full Cloudflare (No EC2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ Security | IP whitelisting, WAF, ALB | mTLS/JWT via Cloudflare Access | Same, fully Cloudflare-managed |
| ⚙️ Compute layer | EC2 + ALB + NAT + ASG | EC2 (t3.small) only | None (cloudflared runs on your API) |
| 🔁 Reverse Proxy control | NGINX/HAProxy on EC2 | NGINX optional, or just cloudflared | No proxy; direct API via tunnel |
| 💸 Monthly cost (est.) | $200–$300+ | $25–$50 | $0–$15 |
| 🌍 IP to whitelist | EIP, NAT, ALB IPs | EC2 EIP or NAT IP | No need — tunnel is outbound only |
| 📦 Data egress cost | AWS charges ($0.09/GB) | Free via Cloudflare CDN (optional) | Free via Cloudflare CDN |
| 🧠 Scaling | Auto Scaling Group | Manual or ASG on EC2 | Native — Cloudflare handles load |
| 🔧 Maintenance | High (infra + scaling) | Low (1 small EC2, cloudflared) | Very Low (run tunnel daemon only) |
| 🔐 Access control | IP-based | Cloudflare Zero Trust policies | Full Zero Trust, OAuth2, mTLS, etc. |
| 📊 Observability | CloudWatch, custom logging | NGINX + Cloudflare | Cloudflare only (logs via LogPush) |
| 🚀 Deployment effort | High | Medium | Very Low |
🧱 1. Full AWS Setup¶
Description - ALB (TLS termination) → EC2 reverse proxies (NGINX/HAProxy) → Your internal API - Clients hit ALB. ALB connects to a fleet of EC2s via target group. - Requires whitelisting, NAT, health checks, scaling policies.
Pros - All AWS-native - Fine-grained control over networking - Mature and enterprise-ready
Cons - High cost (ALB, EC2 x3, NAT, egress) - Complex setup (Terraform, VPC, security groups) - Needs scaling logic and maintenance
Cost Breakdown (monthly)
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| ALB | $25–$40 |
| EC2 x3 | $90 |
| NAT Gateway | $40 |
| EBS | $3 |
| Data egress | $100+ |
| Total | $200–$300+ |
🌐 2. Cloudflare Tunnel + AWS EC2¶
Description - One EC2 (e.g., t3.small) running cloudflared (and optionally NGINX) - Tunnel forwards traffic from api.yourdomain.com to your internal API - Uses Cloudflare Zero Trust for access control
Pros - Much cheaper than full AWS - No need for ALB, NAT, or public IPs - Full control over access + logging - Works well with your existing Cloudflare plan
Cons - Still has an EC2 to manage - Not as elastic as ASG unless you add it
Cost Breakdown (monthly)
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| EC2 (1 node) | $8–$15 |
| EBS (8 GB) | $1 |
| Cloudflared | Free |
| Cloudflare WAF/Access | Included |
| Data egress | Free (via CF) |
| Total | $25–$50 |
☁️ 3. Full Cloudflare (No EC2)¶
Description - Run cloudflared directly on your internal API server(s) - Cloudflare routes traffic securely from the public domain to your private backend - You skip all AWS infra (no EC2, ALB, NAT, EIP, etc.)
Pros - Zero AWS infra cost - End-to-end secured by Cloudflare - Most efficient + scalable - Still supports IP firewalling, mTLS, JWT, OAuth
Cons - Requires internal API servers to run cloudflared - Less separation of public/private layers - Might need HA setup for cloudflared (but it reconnects automatically)
Cost Breakdown (monthly)
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| cloudflared daemon | Free |
| Cloudflare Access | Included in paid plan |
| EC2 / ALB / NAT | ❌ None |
| Data egress | Free via CF |
| Total | $0–$15 (if you use your own infra) |
🎯 Which Should You Choose?¶
| Use Case | Recommended Option |
|---|---|
| Max control, all-AWS infra, traditional setup | Option 1: Full AWS |
| Lean AWS compute with strong Cloudflare control | Option 2: Cloudflare + EC2 |
| Lowest cost, zero AWS, pure Cloudflare edge exposure | ✅ Option 3: Full Cloudflare |
✅ Final Thoughts¶
If you’re OK with running cloudflared on your existing backend (or adding a lightweight sidecar), Option 3 gives you: - Fully secure access - Zero AWS infra cost - Cloudflare WAF, mTLS, JWT, SSO - Free global distribution
⚡ Best value for 1000 RPS at low cost.