--- description: Use Workers VPC to fetch data from a private REST API behind Cloudflare Tunnel. title: Access a private API or website image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png --- [Skip to content](#main-content) > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers-vpc/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Access a private API or website Last updated Aug 25, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/workers-vpc/examples/private-api/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/) This example demonstrates how to access a private REST API that is not exposed to the public internet. In this guide, we will configure a VPC Service for an internal API, create a Worker that makes requests to that API, and deploy the Worker to validate our changes. ## Prerequisites * A virtual machine/EC2 instance running in your VPC/virtual network * A private API or website running in your VPC/virtual network with security rules allowing access to the virtual machine that will be running `cloudflared` * Workers account with Workers VPC access ## 1\. Set up Cloudflare Tunnel A Cloudflare Tunnel creates a secure connection from your private network to Cloudflare. This tunnel will allow Workers to securely access your private resources. 1. Navigate to the [Workers VPC dashboard ↗](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/workers/vpc/tunnels) and select the **Tunnels** tab. 2. Select **Create** to create a new tunnel. 3. Enter a name for your tunnel (for example, `private-api-tunnel`) and select **Save tunnel**. 4. Choose your operating system and architecture. The dashboard will provide specific installation instructions for your environment. 5. Follow the provided commands to download and install `cloudflared` on your VM, and execute the service installation command with your unique token. The dashboard will confirm when your tunnel is successfully connected. Note the tunnel ID for the next step. ## 2\. Create the Workers VPC Service First, create a Workers VPC Service for your internal API: ```bash npx wrangler vpc service create api-service \ --type http \ --tunnel-id \ --ipv4 10.0.1.50 \ --http-port 8080 ``` You can also create a VPC Service for a service using its hostname: ```bash npx wrangler vpc service create api-service \ --type http \ --tunnel-id \ --hostname internal-hostname.example.com ``` Note the service ID returned for the next step. ## 3\. Configure your Worker Update your Wrangler configuration file: ```jsonc { "$schema": "./node_modules/wrangler/config-schema.json", "name": "private-api-gateway", "main": "src/index.js", // Set this to today's date "compatibility_date": "2026-08-25", "vpc_services": [ { "binding": "INTERNAL_API", "service_id": "", "remote": true } ] } ``` ```toml "$schema" = "./node_modules/wrangler/config-schema.json" name = "private-api-gateway" main = "src/index.js" # Set this to today's date compatibility_date = "2026-08-25" [[vpc_services]] binding = "INTERNAL_API" service_id = "" remote = true ``` ## 4\. Implement the Worker In your Workers code, use the VPC Service binding in order to send requests to the service: ```js export default { async fetch(request, env, ctx) { try { // Fetch data from internal API and process it before returning const response = await env.INTERNAL_API.fetch("http://10.0.1.50:8080/api/data"); // Use the response of the private API to perform more logic in Workers, before returning the final response return response; } catch (error) { return new Response("Service unavailable", { status: 503 }); } }, }; ``` This guide demonstrates how you could create a simple proxy in your Workers. However, you could use VPC Services to fetch APIs directly and manipulate the responses to enable you to build more full-stack and backend functionality on Workers. ## 5\. Deploy and test Now, you can deploy and test your Worker that you have created: ```bash npx wrangler deploy ``` ```bash # Test GET request curl https://private-api-gateway.workers.dev ``` ## Next steps * Add [authentication and authorization](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/workers/examples/auth-with-headers/) * Implement [rate limiting](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/durable-objects/api/) * Set up [monitoring and alerting](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/analytics/analytics-engine/) * Explore [other examples](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/workers-vpc/examples/) Was this helpful? 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