Easily Install Cloudflare on Your WordPress Site
Cloudflare is a content delivery network (CDN) provider that also offers DNS, DDoS protection, and security services. They have a robust network of over 100 distinct data centers across the world and have become well-known in the web performance sector for quick DNS lookup times. They have the support of some of the industry’s largest brands, including Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm. Nasdaq, Digital Ocean, Zendesk, and Cisco are among their clientele.
Cloudflare is a terrific choice if you’re searching for a simple way to speed up and secure your WordPress site. The majority of consumers may take advantage of their free plan, which includes unlimited CDN bandwidth. To install Cloudflare on your WordPress site, follow the steps below.
Note that if you use Cloudflare, you won’t be able to use Amazon Route 53’s premium DNS. Cloudflare is a full proxy service, which means you must pick between the two options. If you wish to use our premium DNS, you can speed up your site with an alternate CDN like KeyCDN, which isn’t a full proxy.
Important
Customers can benefit from a seamless Cloudflare integration at no additional expense from Kinsta. Read our post on enabling Cloudflare for an existing domain in MyKinsta to learn more.
Contents Table of Contents
Install Cloudflare
Typical Cloudflare Issues
Clearing the Cloudflare Cache
Cloudflare should be installed.
This guide is based on the assumption that you already have a Cloudflare account. If you don’t have a Cloudflare account, you can create one for free on their website.
1st step
Click “+ Add Site” on the Cloudflare dashboard after logging in. Click “Begin Scan” after entering the domain of your WordPress site. (There’s no need to provide www or HTTP/HTTPS; the root domain suffices.)
cloudflare is a website that you may add to your website.
Cloudflare your WordPress site
It may take a minute or two, after which you should click “Continue Setup.”
2nd Step
You have two choices with Cloudflare. You can either use their CDN and protection (which speeds up and safeguards your site) or just use their DNS. The former is preferred by the majority of clients because it provides access to all of Cloudflare’s features. Make sure the cloud is lit up orange to ensure that your domains are enabled. Additional records, such as email (MX records), should be kept separate from Cloudflare (grey). After you’ve double-checked everything, click continue. You can always make changes to these records later.
dns records from cloudflare
Step 3: Verify DNS records
You’ll need to choose a Cloudflare plan on the next page. We recommend that you start with the free plan, which is suitable for the majority of customers. After that, click “Continue.” More information regarding Cloudflare’s plans may be found here.
cloudflare plan for free
Cloudflare’s free plan
4th step
After that, you’ll need to point your domain’s nameservers to Cloudflare (use the ones they provide). Because Cloudflare is a full proxy service, you point your domain to it, and Cloudflare forwards it to Kinsta. When you change your nameservers, there is no downtime. Here are a few links to different domain registrars’ documentation on how to modify them.
How to use Namecheap to update your nameservers
How to change GoDaddy’s nameservers
With Google Domains, how do you update your nameservers? (suggested reading: Google Domain Reviews [Pros vs Cons])
How to Change Bluehost’s Nameservers
After that, click “Continue.”
nameservers of cloudflare
Change your nameservers to Cloudflare’s.
This shouldn’t take long, but it could take up to 24 hours for the update to take effect.
Step 5 In the Cloudflare dashboard, update the A record to refer to Kinsta if your site wasn’t already pointing at Kinsta or if you were using Kinsta’s premium DNS. Change the A name record next to your Kinsta IPv4 address by clicking “DNS.” The IPv4 address of your WordPress site may be discovered in the “Info” page of your MyKinsta dashboard. If you’re not a Kinsta customer, simply replace the IP address with the one provided by your WordPress provider.
a name record for cloudflare
A name record in Cloudflare should be updated.
That’s all there is to it! Cloudflare is now active on your WordPress site.
6th step (Optional)
For WordPress users, there is an additional step that we recommend. It’s not essential, but if you don’t install the official Cloudflare plugin, some Cloudflare features may not work properly.
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Cloudflare wordpress plugin is now available for download.
Cloudflare is a free WordPress plugin.
You can get it from the WordPress repository or search for it in the “Add New” plugins section of your WordPress dashboard. It has the following features:
Fix for comments from the same IP address appearing on WordPress
Cache cleansing is done automatically.
When Cloudflare’s Universal SSL is enabled, a header rewrite is used to prevent a redirect loop.
Ability to edit Cloudflare account settings from within the plugin (cache purge, security level, image optimization, etc.)
View statistics such as the total number of visitors, the amount of bandwidth saved, and the number of threats that have been stopped.
HTTP2/Server Push is supported.
After installing the plugin, go to the settings and enter your Cloudflare email address and API key. Here’s where you can get your API key. The one that says “Global API Key” should be copied. Then select “Save API Credentials” from the drop-down menu.
WordPress plugin for the cloudflare API
API credentials for the Cloudflare WordPress plugin
You can use the default settings or adjust them as needed in the “Home” page.
WordPress default cloudflare settings
Default Cloudflare plugin settings
If you have a pro subscription, you can activate image optimization, turn on development mode, modify the security level, and enable automatic HTTPS rewrites under the “Settings” page.
WordPress performance and security with Cloudflare
Cloudflare plugin security and speed options
You can see the number of requests, bandwidth, visitors, and threats on your WordPress site under the “Analytics” tab.
Do you have issues with downtime with WordPress? Kinsta is a web hosting service that saves you time! Take a look at our highlights.
analytics from cloudflare Analytics plugin for WordPress by Cloudflare
Typical Cloudflare Issues
When trying to install Cloudflare on a WordPress site, customers frequently receive the message “ERR TOO MANY REDIRECTS” in Chrome or “The page isn’t redirecting properly” (Firefox).
ssl error that is flexible cloudflare
Cloudflare’s common flexible SSL error
This is due to the fact that you already have SSL installed on your web server and then have Cloudflare’s Flexible SSL activated. If your web server (Kinsta) already has an SSL certificate, you’ll want to change the SSL mode to full.
Increase Cloudflare’s encryption level to 100%.
Otherwise, you can fix the problem by creating a page rule.
How to Clear Cloudflare Cache
How to Clear Cloudflare Cache Having issues with Cloudflare? You’ll need to clear (purge) Cloudflare cache from time to time. There are two simple ways to accomplish this.
Option 1: Using the WordPress Plugin to Clear Cloudflare Cache
If you have the Cloudflare WordPress plugin installed, go to “Settings Cloudflare” to clear the cache.
In the WordPress plugin, clear the Cloudflare cache.
Clear Cloudflare Cache from Control Panel Option 2 – Clear Cloudflare Cache in WordPress Plugin
Another approach is to use Cloudflare’s management panel to delete their cache. Click the “Caching” option and then “Purge Everything” to do so.
Cloudflare’s cache should be cleared.
It’s best to only clear the cache of individual files once everything is up and operating well. Cloudflare makes it simple to accomplish this.
File cache purge on demand
Note: If you purge everything, your website’s performance may suffer temporarily as assets re-cache. However, this isn’t always possible, especially if you’re not sure which script or component on your site has to be updated.
Additional Cloudflare Settings
We recommend reading our extensive essay on the best Cloudflare settings for WordPress users now that you know how to install Cloudflare. You may also read about Cloudflare’s Automatic Platform Optimization (APO) tool and see how much bandwidth your WordPress site uses compared to the CDN.
Save time, money, and improve site performance by using:
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Integration with Cloudflare Enterprise.
With 29 data centers across the world, we can reach a global audience.
With our built-in Application Performance Monitoring, you can improve your performance.
All of this and more is included in a single plan that includes no long-term obligations, aided migrations, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Check out our plans or speak with a sales representative to find the ideal plan for you.