Cloudflare

Cloudflare Platform Configuration

Comprehensive platform configuration guide for Cloudflare services. For serverless Workers development, see the cloudflare-workers skill.

Overview

Cloudflare provides a complete edge platform with:

• Global CDN and DNS
• SSL/TLS management
• Web Application Firewall (WAF)
• DDoS protection
• Static site hosting (Pages)
• Edge computing (Workers - see separate skill)

Core principle: This skill covers platform configuration and setup. For Workers development (serverless functions, D1, KV, R2, Durable Objects, AI), use the dedicated cloudflare-workers skill.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Configuring DNS records and domain settings
• Setting up SSL/TLS certificates
• Configuring firewall rules and security settings
• Deploying static sites to Cloudflare Pages
• Managing WAF rules and bot protection
• Setting up redirects and page rules

DO NOT use this skill for:

• Workers development → use cloudflare-workers
• D1, KV, R2, Durable Objects → use cloudflare-workers
• AI features (Workers AI) → use cloudflare-workers

Service Selection Guide

Quick Start

Prerequisites

# Install Wrangler CLI (needed for Pages)
npm install -g wrangler

# Login to Cloudflare
wrangler login

Initial Setup Workflow

1. Add Domain to Cloudflare

   • Log in to Cloudflare Dashboard
   • Click "Add a Site"
   • Enter your domain name
   • Select plan (Free/Pro/Business/Enterprise)
   • Update nameservers at your registrar

2. Configure DNS

   • Set up DNS records for your domain
   • See DNS Configuration Guide

3. Enable SSL/TLS

   • Configure SSL/TLS mode
   • Set up certificates
   • See SSL/TLS Guide

4. Set Up Security

   • Configure firewall rules
   • Enable WAF protection
   • See Firewall Guide

5. Deploy Application

   • Static Sites: Use Pages → Pages Guide
   • Dynamic/API: Use Workers → cloudflare-workers skill

Common Configuration Tasks

Verify Domain Setup

# Check nameservers
dig NS yourdomain.com

# Check DNS propagation
dig A yourdomain.com
dig CNAME www.yourdomain.com

Quick DNS Configuration

Common Record Types:

• A: IPv4 address (e.g., example.com → 192.0.2.1)
• AAAA: IPv6 address
• CNAME: Alias (e.g., www → example.com)
• MX: Email routing
• TXT: Verification and SPF/DKIM

See DNS Guide for detailed configuration.

Enable SSL/TLS (Quick)

Recommended Settings:

1. SSL/TLS Mode: "Full (strict)" for best security
2. Enable "Always Use HTTPS"
3. Enable "Automatic HTTPS Rewrites"
4. Set minimum TLS version to 1.2+

See SSL Guide for certificate details.

Basic Security Rules

Common Patterns:

• Block by country: (ip.geoip.country eq "XX")
• Rate limiting: Limit requests per IP/path
• Bot protection: Challenge suspicious traffic
• Allow/block IPs: Whitelist/blacklist specific IPs

See Firewall Guide for rule syntax.

Platform Architecture Patterns

Static Site with API Backend

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  Cloudflare Pages (Frontend)    │
│  - React/Vue/Svelte/etc.        │
│  - Static assets                │
└────────────┬────────────────────┘
             │
             ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  Workers (API Layer)            │
│  - Business logic               │
│  - Database access (D1)         │
│  - Authentication               │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Setup:

1. Deploy frontend to Pages: Pages Guide
2. Deploy API to Workers: cloudflare-workers skill
3. Configure CORS and custom domains

Full-Stack Application

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  Pages Functions (Full-Stack)   │
│  - Frontend + API in one         │
│  - Directory-based routing      │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Setup:

1. Use Pages with Functions: Pages Guide
2. Add functions/ directory for API routes
3. Deploy via Git or CLI

Multi-Domain Setup

example.com        → Pages (marketing site)
app.example.com    → Pages (web app)
api.example.com    → Workers (API)
cdn.example.com    → R2 (media storage)

Setup:

1. Configure DNS records: DNS Guide
2. Set up SSL certificates: SSL Guide
3. Deploy each service separately

Cloudflare Dashboard Navigation

Key Sections:

• Overview: Traffic stats, security events
• DNS: Manage DNS records
• SSL/TLS: Certificate management
• Firewall: Security rules, WAF
• Speed: Caching, optimization
• Workers & Pages: Serverless deployments
• Analytics: Traffic insights

Environment Management

Multiple Environments Pattern

# Development
DOMAIN = "dev.example.com"
API_URL = "https://api-dev.example.com"

# Staging
DOMAIN = "staging.example.com"
API_URL = "https://api-staging.example.com"

# Production
DOMAIN = "example.com"
API_URL = "https://api.example.com"

Best Practices:

• Use separate Cloudflare zones for production
• Use subdomains for staging/dev
• Test SSL/DNS changes in non-production first
• Use different API keys per environment

Monitoring and Analytics

Key Metrics to Monitor

DNS:

• Query volume
• Response times
• DNSSEC status

SSL/TLS:

• Certificate expiration
• TLS version usage
• Cipher suite distribution

Security:

• Threat detection rate
• Firewall rule triggers
• Bot traffic percentage

Pages/Workers:

• Request volume
• Error rates
• Response times

Setting Up Alerts

Configure alerts for:

• High error rates (5xx responses)
• SSL certificate expiration (30 days before)
• DDoS attack detection
• Unusual traffic spikes

Cost Optimization

Free Plan Features

• Unlimited DNS queries
• Free SSL certificates
• DDoS protection
• 100,000 Workers requests/day
• 500 Pages builds/month

Paid Plan Benefits

• Advanced WAF rules
• Image optimization
• Load balancing
• Priority support
• Increased rate limits

Cost-Saving Tips:

1. Use R2 for storage (zero egress fees)
2. Leverage edge caching to reduce origin requests
3. Use Pages for static sites (no compute costs)
4. Monitor usage in dashboard

Integration with Other Services

Custom Domains

1. Add domain to Cloudflare
2. Update nameservers at registrar
3. Configure DNS records
4. Set up SSL certificates

GitHub Integration (Pages)

• Automatic deployments on push
• Preview deployments for PRs
• Build configurations per branch

CI/CD Integration

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Deploy to Cloudflare Pages
  uses: cloudflare/pages-action@v1
  with:
    apiToken: ${{ secrets.CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN }}
    accountId: ${{ secrets.CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID }}
    projectName: my-project

Troubleshooting Common Issues

DNS Not Resolving

• Symptom: Domain not loading
• Check: Nameservers updated at registrar (24-48hr propagation)
• Solution: Verify with dig NS yourdomain.com

SSL Certificate Errors

• Symptom: Browser shows "Not Secure" or certificate warning
• Check: SSL mode in dashboard, origin certificate
• Solution: Use "Full (strict)" mode with valid origin cert

Pages Build Failures

• Symptom: Deployment fails in build step
• Check: Build command, output directory, environment variables
• Solution: Check build logs, verify configuration

Rate Limiting Issues

• Symptom: 429 errors or blocked requests
• Check: Firewall rules, rate limiting settings
• Solution: Adjust thresholds or whitelist IPs

CORS Errors

• Symptom: Browser blocks cross-origin requests
• Check: CORS headers in Worker/Pages Functions
• Solution: Add proper Access-Control-Allow-Origin headers

Security Best Practices

DNS Security

• Enable DNSSEC for domain integrity
• Use CAA records to control certificate issuance
• Implement DMARC/SPF/DKIM for email

SSL/TLS Security

• Use "Full (strict)" mode
• Enable "Always Use HTTPS"
• Set minimum TLS version to 1.2 or higher
• Enable "Opportunistic Encryption"

Firewall Security

• Block known malicious IPs/countries
• Implement rate limiting on login/API endpoints
• Use Challenge pages for suspicious traffic
• Enable Bot Fight Mode

Access Control

• Use API tokens with minimal permissions
• Rotate API keys regularly
• Enable 2FA on Cloudflare account
• Audit user permissions

Detailed Configuration References

For in-depth guides on specific topics:

• DNS Configuration - Complete DNS setup, record types, DNSSEC
• SSL/TLS Setup - Certificate management, TLS modes, edge certificates
• Firewall & WAF - Security rules, rate limiting, bot protection
• Cloudflare Pages - Static site deployment, Pages Functions
• Workers Development - Serverless functions, D1, KV, R2, AI

Additional Resources

• Official Docs: https://developers.cloudflare.com
• Dashboard: https://dash.cloudflare.com
• Status Page: https://www.cloudflarestatus.com
• Community: https://community.cloudflare.com
• Discord: https://discord.cloudflare.com

Configuration Checklist

Initial Platform Setup

• Add domain to Cloudflare
• Update nameservers at registrar
• Verify DNS propagation (24-48 hours)
• Configure DNS records for services
• Enable SSL/TLS (Full strict mode)
• Set up HTTPS redirects

Security Configuration

• Enable DNSSEC
• Configure firewall rules
• Enable WAF (if on paid plan)
• Set up rate limiting
• Enable bot protection
• Configure security headers

Deployment Setup

• Choose deployment method (Pages/Workers)
• Configure build settings (if using Pages)
• Set environment variables
• Test in staging environment
• Deploy to production
• Verify deployment

Monitoring Setup

• Configure analytics
• Set up alerts for critical events
• Monitor SSL certificate expiration
• Review security logs regularly
• Track performance metrics