> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ngrok.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cloud Endpoints

> Create and manage persistent, always-on endpoints in the cloud.

Cloud Endpoints are persistent, always-on endpoints whose creation, deletion, and configuration is managed centrally via the Dashboard or API.
They exist permanently until they are explicitly deleted, and can be configured to filter, route, load-balance, or authenticate traffic to endpoints running on your servers or local machines.

## Get started

You can create a Cloud Endpoint in the Dashboard or using the API. See [the Cloud Endpoints Quickstart](/getting-started/cloud-endpoints-quickstart) to learn more.

## Use cases

Cloud endpoints are a good choice when you want to:

* Centrally manage an endpoint's Traffic Policy configuration
* Create always-on endpoints that aren't tied to the lifetime of an agent
  process
* Route incoming traffic to multiple other endpoints based on path, IP, header,
  etc.
* Create a loose coupling between the traffic-receiving endpoint and the
  traffic-servicing endpoint.
* Update an endpoint's Traffic Policy without taking it offline.

It is a common pattern to create public Cloud Endpoints that route traffic to
internal Agent Endpoints via the [forward
action](/traffic-policy/actions/forward-internal/). The Traffic Policy of
a Cloud Endpoint must terminate traffic via actions such as `deny`, `redirect`,
`custom-response`, or `forward-internal`.

## Differences from Agent Endpoints

<Note>
  See the [Endpoint Types](/gateway/types/) page for a full comparison between Agent and Cloud Endpoints.
</Note>

* **Always-on** - Unlike Agent Endpoints, Cloud Endpoints are always-on and
  persistent. They exist permanently until they are explicitly deleted.
* **Centralized Management** - Cloud Endpoints are created, managed and
  configured centrally via the API or Dashboard. You can update their Traffic
  Policy and other properties at any time via the API or Dashboard. Agent
  Endpoints, by contrast, can only be created and configured by the agent that
  initiated them. They are read-only in the API and Dashboard.
* **URLs** - Cloud Endpoints must specify a fully qualified URL when created.
  You cannot ask for a URL to be randomly chosen for you.
* **Traffic Policy** - Cloud Endpoints handle traffic they receive via their
  Traffic Policy. Unlike Agent Endpoints, they do not implicitly forward their traffic
  to an agent. You must specify a non-empty Traffic Policy when creating a
  Cloud Endpoint.
* **API** - Cloud Endpoints API representation specifies `type: cloud` and its
  `tunnel_session` reference is `null`.

## Protocols, binding and pooling

* **Protocols** - Cloud endpoints support all [Endpoint
  Protocols](/gateway/protocols) (`http`, `https`, `tcp`
  and `tls`).
* **Bindings** - Cloud endpoints support all [Endpoint
  Bindings](/gateway/bindings) (`public`,
  `internal` and `kubernetes`).
* **Pooling** - Cloud endpoints support [Endpoint
  Pooling](/gateway/endpoint-pooling/). They may also pool with
  themselves and with Agent Endpoints.

## Guides

For examples of Cloud Endpoint usage, check out the following guides:

* [Forwarding Traffic to and Load Balancing Internal Endpoints with Cloud Endpoints](/gateway/cloud-endpoints/forwarding-and-load-balancing/)
* [Path-based Routing and Policy Decentralization with Cloud Endpoints](/gateway/cloud-endpoints/routing-and-policy-decentralization)

## API

Cloud Endpoints can be managed programmatically via:

* \[`/endpoints` API Resource]\(/api-reference/endpoints/list of the [API](/api/)
* [`CloudEndpoint` CRD](/k8s/crds/) of the [Kubernetes Operator](/k8s/)

## Cloud Endpoints pricing

Cloud endpoints are available on the pay-as-you-go plan. Consult the [Endpoints Pricing](/gateway/endpoints/#pricing) documentation for billing details.