The whole category in one page.
WHAT CLOUDFLARE IS
A layer between visitors and our servers, providing DNS, caching, filtering and attack protection.
THE TWO SETTINGS THAT CAUSE MOST PROBLEMS
SSL mode must be Full (strict). Flexible causes redirect loops. Mail records must be DNS only. Proxying them breaks email.
WHAT IT CACHES BY DEFAULT
Static files. Not HTML, which still reaches us on every request.
WHAT IT DOES NOT FIX
A slow application Unoptimised images Resource limits caused by uncached page generation Vulnerabilities in your own software
THE ORDER OF WORK
Server-side caching first Image optimisation second Cloudflare third
SETTING IT UP
Record your DNS before starting Review every imported record Set proxy states correctly Set SSL to Full (strict) Test the site, mail, cPanel and checkout
MAINTAINING IT
Export the zone as a DNS backup Check the configuration after any change
Purge caches in order: application, Cloudflare, browser
IF SOMETHING BREAKS
Pause Cloudflare. If the problem goes, it is configuration.
