How Claude Code automated a complex infrastructure task in under 2 minutes
Expose a local nginx container (running on port 86) to the internet via Cloudflare Tunnel at nginx.leebasehome.com — a task that typically requires reading documentation, navigating multiple API endpoints, managing secrets, and debugging Docker networking.
Human effort: Pasted an API token into a file when prompted.
Everything else was automated.
Retrieved Cloudflare Account ID and Zone ID via API calls
Created a new Cloudflare Tunnel with a cryptographically secure secret using OpenSSL
Created CNAME record pointing the subdomain to the tunnel endpoint
Generated config.yml and credentials JSON with all values correctly populated
Launched cloudflared Docker container with proper host networking
Confirmed 4 tunnel connections and tested the live endpoint
Live and serving traffic through Cloudflare's global network
Called 5 different Cloudflare API endpoints seamlessly
Generated cryptographic secrets with OpenSSL
Created properly formatted YAML and JSON configs
Pulled image, configured networking, launched container
Switched from jq to Python when jq wasn't installed
Checked logs, API status, and live endpoint
| Advantage | Description |
|---|---|
| Context Retention | Tracked IDs, secrets, and file paths across multiple steps without losing information |
| Tool Orchestration | Combined curl, openssl, docker, and file operations into a coherent workflow |
| Error Adaptation | When one tool wasn't available, immediately switched to alternatives |
| Domain Knowledge | Knew API structures, Docker quirks, and config file formats |
| Built-in Verification | Confirmed success at each step, not just blind execution |
The human stayed in control — approving the plan, providing credentials — while the AI handled all the tedious execution details. This is the future of infrastructure management.