Get started with Cloudflare
Learning path
Set up your application to benefit from Cloudflare’s speed, security, and reliability.
Concepts
~25 mins
Concepts explain the basic ideas behind how Cloudflare works and how you can work with Cloudflare.
Feel free to skip if you have a technical background.
Account setup
~10 mins
Create and customize your Cloudflare account.
Contains 6 units
- Create account
- Set up two-factor authentication (2FA)
- Add billing information
- Customize account
- Add other account members
- (For some) Create an API token
If you plan on using the Cloudflare API to manage various account settings, create an API token associated with your account.
Add a domain
~5 mins
Make a few updates at your registrar and within Cloudflare to improve your domain’s speed, security, and reliability.
Contains 3 units
- (For some) Minimize downtime
If your domain is particularly sensitive to downtime, you may want to do a bit of pre-work before adding it to Cloudflare.
- (For some) Allow Cloudflare IP addresses
If you control your origin server and plan on using Cloudflare’s proxy, review your server configuration to avoid accidentally blocking Cloudflare IP addresses.
- Add a site
Note: If do not already have a domain name, start with Cloudflare Registrar instead.
Domain resolution
~10 mins
After your domain is active on Cloudflare, review your DNS settings to make sure visitors can access your site.
Contains 6 units
- Review DNS records
Though Cloudflare automatically scans for DNS records, you should review your records to avoid unexpected issues.
- Proxy status (concept)
Make sure you understand Cloudflare’s proxy status, which affects how Cloudflare treats incoming traffic to a DNS record.
- Set up DNSSEC
- Create root domain
- Create subdomain
- Set up email records
Security
~1 hour
Review and optimize your security settings so your visitors' information and your site infrastructure are protected.
Other optimizations
Go beyond the basics and optimize other aspects of your domain setup.
(Optional) Helpful resources
~30 mins