What is Cloudflare and How to Get Maximum Out of It?
Hosting Tips & Tricks

What is Cloudflare and How to Get Maximum Out of It?

Cloudflare is your website’s best friend in the digital wild west. Think of it as a bodyguard, speed booster, and performance enhancer all rolled into one. It’s a content delivery network (CDN) and security solution that protects your site from cyberattacks while ensuring it loads faster for your visitors—no matter where they are in the world.

3 min read

With its massive global network, Cloudflare acts as a reverse proxy, routing your traffic through optimized servers. This not only improves website performance but also protects against common threats like DDoS attacks, bots, and malicious hacking attempts.

Setting Up Cloudflare for Maximum Benefits

1. Add Your Domain to Cloudflare

  • Sign up on Cloudflare’s website.
  • Add your domain and let Cloudflare scan your existing DNS records.
  • Choose a plan that fits your needs. The free plan is great for most users.
adding website to cloudflare

2. Update Your Nameservers

  • Replace your current nameservers with the ones provided by Cloudflare.
  • This can be done through your domain registrar (like Namecheap or GoDaddy).
  • Wait for DNS propagation, which usually takes a few hours.

3. Enable Proxy Mode

  • In Cloudflare’s DNS settings, ensure the orange cloud icon is ON for your records. This activates Cloudflare’s security and performance features.
enabling proxy cloudflare

How to Get the Most Out of Cloudflare

Enable Speed and Performance Features in One Click

Cloudflare has made performance optimization ridiculously easy:

  1. Go to Speed > Optimization in the sidebar.
  2. Click Enable All Available Features.
enabling speed optimization features

Here’s what gets activated:

  • Auto Minify: Reduces file sizes of CSS, JavaScript, and HTML.
  • Brotli Compression: Speeds up data transfer.
  • HTTP/2 & HTTP/3: Improves how fast your site communicates with visitors’ browsers.
  • 0-RTT Connection Resumption: Reduces latency for repeat visitors.
  • TLS 1.3: Activates the latest and fastest encryption protocol.
  • Always Use HTTPS: Ensures all traffic is encrypted and secure.
  • Early Hints: Lets browsers preload resources to make your site load faster.

That’s it—click once, and you’re supercharged.

Boosting Security with Cloudflare

Bot Fight Mode

Under Security > Bots, enable Bot Fight Mode to kick malicious bots off your site while allowing helpful ones (like search engine crawlers) to do their job.

turning on bot fight mode

Pro Tip: Block xmlrpc.php on WordPress

If you’re using WordPress, the xmlrpc.php file can be an open door for DDoS attacks. While it’s rarely used nowadays, attackers exploit it to overwhelm websites with unlimited requests.

Here’s how to block it using Cloudflare:

  1. Go to Security > WAF and create a new rule.
  2. Set the rule:
    • Name: Block xmlrpc.php
    • Field: URI Path
    • Operator: Contains
    • Value: xmlrpc.php
    • Action: Block
  3. Save and deploy. No more xmlrpc nightmares.
blocking xmlrpc.php access

Just in Case

We enabled everything. Cloudflare made it easy. Your website’s static parts will now be hosted on 300 servers worldwide, delivering content faster than ever to your audience.

But what if your website slows down? Don’t panic—Cloudflare can help again, especially during a DDoS attack.

Here’s what to do:

  1. Navigate to Analytics > HTTP Traffic in your Cloudflare dashboard.
  2. Spotting unusual traffic? For example, 150,000 requests from a single country in the last 24 hours that doesn’t match real client activity? That’s a red flag—you’re likely under a DDoS attack.
ddos attack inspection

Most small-scale DDoS attacks don’t last long. But to protect your site:

  1. Go to the Dashboard Overview.
  2. Under Quick Actions, enable Under Attack Mode.
ddos attack blocking

This will display a JavaScript challenge to visitors before they can access your site. Keep it on for a few hours or even a day until the attacker gives up. Once things settle down, turn it off.

No fluff, no spending thousands on so-called “experts”—just practical steps to keep your site running smoothly.

Final Thoughts

Cloudflare is the easiest way to supercharge your website while keeping it secure. With features like one-click performance optimizations and advanced security tools, it’s no wonder millions of websites trust Cloudflare.

Whether you’re running a small blog or a global e-commerce platform, Cloudflare’s free plan offers incredible value—and if you need more, their paid features are worth every penny.

Now go ahead, enable those optimizations, and let Cloudflare do the heavy lifting while you focus on growing your site.

Want to Rank Higher Without Spending a Dime?

If you’re serious about taking your website to the next level and climbing search engine rankings without breaking the bank, don’t miss our guide: How to Audit Your Website’s SEO Like a Pro for Free.

No fluff, no gimmicks—just actionable steps to optimize your site like a seasoned SEO expert. Check it out and start ranking smarter, not harder!

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