Cloudflare is a global CDN (Content Delivery Network) and security layer that sits between your website visitors and your server.

Instead of users connecting directly to your hosting server, traffic first passes through Cloudflare’s network of 300+ global data centers.

This allows Cloudflare to:

• Cache static content closer to users

• Block malicious traffic

• Filter bots

• Absorb DDoS attacks

• Optimize performance

In simple terms: it acts as a protective and performance-enhancing shield in front of your infrastructure.

Why You Should Use Cloudflare

1️⃣ Performance Boost

Cloudflare caches images, CSS, JavaScript, and other static assets across global edge servers.

Result:

• Faster load times

• Lower server load

• Better Core Web Vitals

• Improved SEO rankings

Even on premium infrastructure (like what we deploy at Orvixly), reducing unnecessary traffic improves efficiency.

2️⃣ Built-in DDoS Protection

Cloudflare automatically mitigates:

• SYN floods

• Layer 7 attacks

• Bot traffic

• Suspicious IP patterns

Instead of your server being overwhelmed, Cloudflare absorbs and filters the attack before it reaches your infrastructure.

3️⃣ Free SSL & Security

With one click, you get:

• Free SSL certificate

• Automatic HTTPS redirect

• Web Application Firewall (WAF)

• Bot management

Security setup that used to take hours now takes minutes.

4️⃣ Real-Time Analytics

You can see:

• Where traffic comes from

• Attack attempts

• Bot vs human traffic

• Bandwidth usage

This gives you visibility most hosting providers don’t offer natively.

How to Set Up Cloudflare (Step-by-Step)

Setup takes about 10–20 minutes.

Step 1: Create a Cloudflare Account

Go to cloudflare.com and create a free account.

Click “Add Site” and enter your domain.

Step 2: Import DNS Records

Cloudflare will scan your existing DNS records automatically.

Carefully verify:

• A record (pointing to your server IP)

• MX records (for email)

• Subdomains

⚠ Important:
If you use email, make sure MX records are not proxied (they should remain “DNS Only”).

Step 3: Change Nameservers

Cloudflare will give you two nameservers.

Go to your domain registrar and replace your current nameservers with the Cloudflare ones.

DNS propagation typically takes 5–30 minutes (sometimes up to 24 hours).

Step 4: Configure SSL Properly

Go to:

SSL/TLS → Overview

Select:

Full (Strict)

This ensures:

• Encrypted connection between user ↔ Cloudflare

• Encrypted connection between Cloudflare ↔ your server

Never use “Flexible” unless absolutely necessary.

Step 5: Enable Basic Performance Features

Under Speed → Optimization:

Enable:

• Auto Minify (HTML, CSS, JS)

• Brotli compression

• HTTP/3

• Early Hints (if available)

Under Caching → Configuration:

• Default TTL is fine for most sites

• Enable “Always Online”

Step 6: Basic Security Hardening

Under Security → WAF:

• Enable Managed Rules (Free plan includes basic rules)

• Enable Bot Fight Mode

• Set Security Level to “Medium”

This blocks most automated threats instantly.

When Cloudflare Is NOT Enough

Cloudflare is powerful — but it is not a replacement for:

• Proper server configuration

• Secure hosting

• Infrastructure-level DDoS protection

• Application optimization

It enhances good infrastructure — it does not fix bad hosting.

That’s why at Orvixly, we combine:

• Premium hardware

• Network-level filtering

• Performance tuning

• Cloudflare integration

The result is layered protection and performance — not just a CDN in front of a weak backend.

Final Thoughts

Cloudflare is one of the highest ROI upgrades any website owner can implement.

It’s:

• Free to start

• Easy to deploy

• Extremely powerful

Whether you’re running a personal project or a high-traffic platform, using Cloudflare should be standard practice.

If you’re unsure how to configure it correctly or want a fully optimized hosting environment designed for performance and security from the ground up — that’s where we come in.

At Orvixly, we handle Cloudflare configuration end-to-end. Open a ticket, and our team will secure and optimize your setup for maximum performance.