8 min
How to Set Up Cloudflare
Registration, DNS migration, SSL Full, Page Rules and Firewall.
Cloudflare gives you a free CDN, DDoS protection, free SSL and a global DNS network in 10 minutes. It sits between visitors and your hosting, caching static content and blocking malicious traffic. This guide walks through the full setup: registration, adding your domain, changing nameservers, configuring SSL Full mode, and setting up Page Rules and the firewall.
How to Set Up Cloudflare
Create a Cloudflare account
cloudflare.com → Sign Up. Free plan covers DNS, CDN, free SSL and basic firewall. $22/month Pro adds image optimization, WAF and faster cache purge — not needed for most sites.
Add your domain
Click "Add a Site" → enter yourdomain.com → choose Free. Cloudflare scans existing DNS records. Review the imported records — A, MX, CNAME — and add anything missing.
Change nameservers at your registrar
Cloudflare shows two nameservers like ada.ns.cloudflare.com. Log into your registrar (BeoHosting, GoDaddy, Namecheap) → DNS/Nameservers → replace existing with Cloudflare's. Propagation: 1-24 hours.
Set SSL mode to Full (strict)
SSL/TLS → Overview → choose "Full (strict)" — encrypts both ways and validates origin certificate. With Let's Encrypt on BeoHosting (default), Full (strict) works out of the box. Avoid "Flexible" — insecure.
Enable Always Use HTTPS and HSTS
SSL/TLS → Edge Certificates → "Always Use HTTPS" ON. Enable HSTS with 6-month max-age (test first — HSTS is hard to undo). Every http:// 301-redirects to https://.
Configure Page Rules and caching
Page Rules → "Cache Everything" for /wp-content/uploads/* (long cache for images), "Bypass Cache" for /wp-admin/* (no caching for admin). Free plan gets 3 page rules.
Set up firewall and security level
Security → Settings → Security Level "Medium" (or High during attacks). Add Firewall Rules to block obvious bad traffic. Enable Bot Fight Mode (free).
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FAQ
Answers to the most common questions about our services.
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(+381) 60 3535 720Is Cloudflare really free?
Yes — Cloudflare Free is free forever for unlimited bandwidth, with CDN, SSL, DNS and basic firewall. Paid plans add advanced features but most sites never need them.
Will Cloudflare break my site?
Rarely, if configured correctly. Common pitfalls: SSL Flexible mode breaks login pages, aggressive caching breaks admin areas (Bypass Cache for /wp-admin/*), too aggressive minification breaks JS/CSS.
Should I use Cloudflare with LiteSpeed Cache?
Yes — they complement each other. LiteSpeed Cache handles full-page caching on your server. Cloudflare CDN handles static assets globally and DDoS at the edge.
How long does DNS propagation take?
1-4 hours typically, up to 48 hours in rare cases. During propagation, some visitors hit Cloudflare and some hit old nameservers — both work, so no downtime.
Does Cloudflare affect email?
Cloudflare does not affect email if you set up your DNS records correctly. The key rule: MX records and email-related A records (e.g. mail.yoursite.com) must not pass through the Cloudflare proxy — they must have the grey cloud (DNS Only). If you use mail.yoursite.com as an A record pointing to the same server, turn off the proxy for that record. Otherwise, sending and receiving email will work without problems.
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