What This Is
Cloudflare sits in front of your web applications as a performance, security, and DNS management layer — handling CDN caching, SSL termination, DDoS protection, DNS routing, and traffic management. We configure and manage Cloudflare as part of the infrastructure layer for the applications we build.
We use Cloudflare across our own infrastructure for DNS management, SSL provisioning, CDN caching, and basic security rules. Every domain we manage routes through Cloudflare, giving us daily operational experience with its configuration, caching behaviour, and edge network. This is not a service we set up once and forget — DNS changes, cache rules, and security configurations are ongoing operational work.
Cloudflare’s free tier provides substantial value (DNS, CDN, SSL, basic DDoS protection), and the paid tiers add WAF rules, advanced caching, Workers for edge compute, and analytics. We recommend the tier that matches your actual requirements — most applications run well on the free or Pro plans without needing Enterprise features.
When You Need This
Cloudflare infrastructure management is relevant when your applications need DNS management, CDN caching, SSL, or security at the network edge. Common scenarios:
- You need DNS management for your domains with fast propagation, DNSSEC support, and API-manageable records
- Your application benefits from CDN caching — static assets served from edge locations close to your users
- SSL certificate management should be automatic rather than a manual renewal process
- You want DDoS protection and basic security rules without deploying a separate WAF product
- Your application needs custom caching rules — different TTLs for different content types, cache bypassing for authenticated users
- You manage multiple domains and want a single management interface for DNS, SSL, and security
How We Work
Cloudflare setup starts with DNS migration — moving your domain’s nameservers to Cloudflare and configuring all necessary records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV). We verify email deliverability (SPF, DKIM, DMARC records), confirm all subdomains resolve correctly, and ensure the migration is seamless.
Caching and performance configuration is tuned to your application. Static assets get aggressive caching with long TTLs. Dynamic content is either bypassed or cached with appropriate invalidation rules. We configure page rules or cache rules for specific URL patterns that need different behaviour — admin panels bypassing cache, API endpoints with no-store headers, media files with extended edge caching.
Security configuration covers the basics that every application should have: SSL mode set to Full (Strict), HTTP Strict Transport Security enabled, automatic HTTPS rewrites, and security headers (X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options) applied at the edge. For applications with specific threat profiles, we configure WAF rules, rate limiting, and geographic access restrictions.
What You Get
- DNS management — fast, reliable DNS with API access, DNSSEC support, and instant propagation
- CDN configuration — edge caching with custom rules for static assets, dynamic content, and media files
- SSL management — automatic SSL certificate provisioning and renewal with Full Strict mode
- Security baseline — DDoS protection, security headers, and HTTPS enforcement
- WAF rules — custom firewall rules for specific threat patterns and access restrictions
- Performance tuning — caching strategies, minification, Brotli compression, and early hints
- Multi-domain management — consistent configuration across all your domains
Technologies We Use
- Cloudflare DNS — authoritative DNS with DNSSEC, fast propagation, and API management
- Cloudflare CDN — global edge network with configurable caching rules and cache purging
- Cloudflare SSL — automatic certificate provisioning with Full Strict, Origin CA, and custom certificates
- Cloudflare WAF — web application firewall with managed rulesets and custom rules
- Cloudflare Workers — edge compute for request transformation, A/B testing, and custom logic at the CDN level
- Cloudflare API — programmatic management for DNS, cache, and security configuration
Related Systems
Cloudflare is an infrastructure layer supporting applications built with Laravel and served to React frontends. It works alongside AWS services (SES for email, S3 for storage). See our Cloudflare API integration page for programmatic Cloudflare management from your application.
Talk to Us About Cloudflare
If your domains need proper DNS, CDN, and security configuration through Cloudflare, get in touch and we will set it up or audit your existing configuration.
