Cloudflare is a popular service that enhances your website's performance and security. It acts as a Content Delivery Network (CDN), optimizes the delivery of your web pages, and protects your site from malicious activities. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of setting up Cloudflare for your domain, particularly if you're on a VPS or dedicated hosting plan with us. For added security, we require our customers on these plans to manage their DNS with Cloudflare's free plan.
Visit the Cloudflare homepage and click "Sign up."
Enter your email address and create a password.
Once you have filled out this information, click "Create Account."
Once you've created your account and are logged in, you'll see a field that says "+ Add a site." Click on it.
Enter your website URL into the field provided, then click "Add site."
Choose your plan. For our purposes, the free plan [https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/] is sufficient and offers plenty of features for most websites.
After selecting your plan, Cloudflare will scan your domain's DNS records. This process may take a few minutes.
Once the scan is complete, you'll see a list of DNS records that Cloudflare found. These should match the DNS records from your current DNS provider.
Review the records carefully. If any are missing or incorrect, add or edit them as necessary.
After you've verified that your DNS records are correct, click "Continue." You'll be directed to change your domain's nameservers.
Cloudflare will provide you with two nameservers. Copy these nameservers.
Log in to your domain registrar account (where you bought your domain name), navigate to the DNS settings or nameserver settings, and replace the existing nameservers with the ones provided by Cloudflare. The process will vary depending on the registrar, so refer to their documentation or support if you need help.
Once you've updated your nameservers, go back to Cloudflare and click "Done, check nameservers."
Log into your GoDaddy Domain Control Center.
Select your domain to access the Domain Settings page.
Under "Additional Settings", select "Manage DNS".
In the Nameservers section, select "Change".
Choose "Enter my own nameservers (advanced)" and enter the nameservers provided by Cloudflare.
Select "Save" or "Connect" to save your changes.
Sign in to your Namecheap account.
Go to "Domain List", then click "Manage" next to your domain.
In the Nameservers section, select "Custom DNS".
Enter the nameservers provided by Cloudflare and click the checkmark icon to save the changes.
Log in to your Bluehost control panel.
Click on "Domains" in the left-hand menu.
Next to your domain, click on "Manage".
In the Nameservers section, click "Edit".
Enter the nameservers provided by Cloudflare and click "Save".
Log in to your HostGator billing account.
Click on "Domains" in the left-hand menu.
Click on the gear icon next to your domain and select "Manage Nameservers".
Enter the nameservers provided by Cloudflare and click "Save Nameservers".
Sign in to Google Domains.
Click on the domain you want to manage.
Open the menu and click "DNS".
Under "Name servers", click on "Use custom name servers".
Enter the nameservers provided by Cloudflare and click "Save".
Remember, the changes you make can take up to 48 hours to take effect (this process is called DNS propagation). Once the changes have propagated, your DNS management will be handled through Cloudflare.
Please note: Always make sure to have a copy of your DNS records before making any changes. This will help you revert any changes if something goes wrong. If you need any further help, please get in touch with our support team.
The process of nameserver propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours. During this time, Cloudflare will check to see if the nameservers for your domain have updated.
You'll receive an email from Cloudflare confirming that your domain is active and protected.
Step 6: Configure Cloudflare Settings
Once your site is active on Cloudflare, you can adjust your settings according to your needs. We recommend enabling "Always Use HTTPS" to ensure secure connections and turning on "Auto Minify" for your JavaScript, CSS, and HTML files to enhance your site's performance.
That's it! You've now set up Cloudflare for your domain. By managing your DNS with Cloudflare, you're enhancing your website's security and performance. Remember, if you're on our VPS or dedicated hosting plans, this setup is a requirement for added security. If you have any questions or encounter any issues during setup, our support team is always here to help.