This was what I followed to set things up:

https://www.crosstalksolutions.com/cloudflare-tunnel-easy-setup/

The only difference is that I bought my domain from cloudflare too, so I didn’t need to do the first few steps.

I installed the cloudflared docker container and set up the Cloudflare Zero Access Tunnel thing.

I can’t stream my plex media through it due to TOS, but with access control and the 1.1.1.1 DNS and everything, it has been great.

I’m new to this entire field, and only recently set up my NAS with DDNS and everything to get around my CGNAT. I decided to go with Cloudflare since it was a name I knew well, and reviews were good. It did feel a bit overwhelming at first, but it was pretty easy to figure out what I needed to do and what I didn’t, and I am pretty happy with it.

It is possible to set up pihole on the free tier of Google cloud and stay connected to it at all times through a VPN. I have been using that for a few years now with minimal issues. Here’s a tutorial on how to do it.