Why your logs show the wrong address.
THE PROBLEM
When traffic is proxied, our server sees Cloudflare's addresses, not your visitors'.
Your access logs, your analytics, and any application feature depending on the visitor's address all see Cloudflare.
WHAT THIS AFFECTS
Security plugins blocking by address, which may block Cloudflare and therefore everyone Comment spam filtering Geographic features Rate limiting within your application Fraud checks in a shop, which may see every order from the same address
THE FIX
Cloudflare sends the real address in a header. Your application must be configured to read it.
Most platforms have a plugin or setting for this. WordPress has a Cloudflare plugin that handles it.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR SHOPS
Fraud screening that sees every order from one address cannot function.
CHECKING
Look at recent entries in your application's log or your comment records. If every visitor shows the same address, this is the problem.
WHAT WE SEE
Our logs also show Cloudflare addresses for proxied traffic. Bear that in mind when reporting an issue.
