Cloudflare is a free CDN and security service that caches your website's static files on servers around the world, making your site faster for global visitors and reducing load on your hosting server.
Step 1: Create a Cloudflare Account
Go to cloudflare.com and sign up for a free account. Add your domain when prompted. Cloudflare will scan your existing DNS records β review them and confirm they look correct.
Step 2: Update Your Nameservers
Cloudflare will give you two nameservers (e.g., kate.ns.cloudflare.com). Log in to your domain registrar and replace the current nameservers with Cloudflare's. This routes all traffic through Cloudflare's network.
Step 3: Configure Cloudflare Settings
Recommended settings for a hosting account:
- SSL/TLS mode: Full (Strict) β requires an SSL on your hosting server
- Auto Minify: enable for JavaScript, CSS, HTML
- Brotli compression: enable
- Caching level: Standard
Using Cloudflare with WordPress
Install the official Cloudflare WordPress plugin to sync cache purging automatically when you publish content. Also add Cloudflare's IP ranges to your firewall whitelist so the real visitor IPs pass through correctly.