Delivering a fast, secure, and reliable website experience is essential for every business. At Cloudways, you can easily integrate Cloudflare Enterprise with your applications to boost performance and safeguard against online threats.
With this add-on, your site benefits from a global CDN, advanced DDoS protection, and enterprise-grade security features—all managed directly from the Cloudways Platform.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to integrate and manage Cloudflare Enterprise on Cloudways, optimize DNS settings, and take full advantage of caching, image optimization, and security tools to ensure your applications run smoothly at scale.
Table of Contents:
Why Use Cloudflare Enterprise on Cloudways?
Cloudflare Enterprise is more than just a CDN—it’s a complete performance and security solution. By enabling it through the Cloudways Platform, your applications get access to:
HTTP/3 Support: Improves connection speed and reliability through a more efficient protocol.
Brotli Compression: Compresses website resources for faster delivery and better performance.
Reserved IPs for Cloudways Customers: Enhanced security enabled by assigning dedicated IPs.
PCI DSS Compliance: Ensures the platform adheres to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.
Faster global delivery with 200+ data centers worldwide.
Stronger protection against DDoS attacks and malicious traffic.
Optimized content through advanced caching and image compression.
Seamless management without needing a separate Cloudflare account.
This makes Cloudflare Enterprise a reliable choice for businesses of all sizes that want better speed, security, and scalability.
Tip:
Learn more about Cloudflare and why you should use the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on.
In this article, you will learn how to integrate the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on with your websites in a few easy steps.
Cloudflare Enterprise Add-on Pricing
Cloudflare Enterprise add-on pricing is based on the number of domains subscribed to Cloudflare Enterprise in your account.
Each Cloudflare subscription is attached to a unique domain, and volume-based pricing applies for professionals and agencies managing multiple domains.
The more domains you subscribe to Cloudflare Enterprise, the lower the per-domain monthly cost becomes. Visit the pricing page to get more information.
Number of Domains | Price Per Domain |
1–4 domains | $4.99/month |
5–9 domains | $3.99/month |
10–24 domains | $2.99/month |
25+ domains | $1.99/month |
Bandwidth overage is charged at $0.02/GB.
Cloudflare Enterprise charges are calculated on a pro-rated basis. This means if a domain moves to the paid Cloudflare Enterprise plan during the billing month, you are charged only for the remaining days of that billing month, plus any applicable bandwidth overage.
Cloudflare Enterprise Free Trial
When you enable Cloudflare Enterprise on a domain, the domain is auto-subscribed to a free trial. The trial ends when either of the following limits is reached, whichever comes first:
30 days from the trial start date
100 GB bandwidth consumed on that domain
Once the free trial ends, the domain is automatically converted to the paid Cloudflare Enterprise plan. The subscription is then billed on a pro-rated basis for the remaining days of the current billing month, along with any bandwidth overage charges.
Before confirming the trial subscription, you must provide consent in the subscription modal confirming that the domain will automatically move to the paid plan once the trial ends.
One-Time Trial per Domain
Each unique domain can use the Cloudflare Enterprise free trial only once.
If the trial ends or Cloudflare Enterprise is unsubscribed from that domain, the same domain cannot start another free trial again.
Note: Domains that were added and removed before this free trial feature went live are still eligible for the trial.
Server Transfer Behavior
If a domain has an active Cloudflare Enterprise trial during a server transfer, the trial continues on the new server without any change to the remaining trial days or bandwidth limit.
If a domain was previously subscribed to Cloudflare Enterprise and then unsubscribed before the server transfer, the new owner cannot start a new free trial for that domain.
Trial Notifications
Cloudways sends email notifications to help you track your Cloudflare Enterprise trial usage:
When 80% of the 100 GB trial bandwidth is consumed on a domain
5 days before the 30-day trial period ends
Important:
If you cancel your Cloudflare Enterprise subscription on a domain and later resubscribe using the same domain, it will be counted as a separate paid subscription and charged on a pro-rated basis for the remaining days of the current billing month. The same domain will not be eligible for another free trial after it has already used the trial.
CDN Performance Benchmarking
Overview
This section explains how different caching and CDN (Content Delivery Network) setups impact your website’s performance under heavy traffic.
The benchmark helps you understand how your website behaves when many visitors access it at the same time.
This benchmark is based on the methodology from WP Hosting Benchmarks k6 LoadStorm methodology.
For more details, visit: http://wphostingbenchmarks.com/
Test Configuration
Server Setup
Plan: 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM (Basic Premium)
Traffic Simulated: Up to 1,000 concurrent users
Test Duration: 30 minutes
Website Setup
Static WordPress website
Optimized plugins and themes for better performance
What Was Tested?
We tested three different setups to compare performance:
Cache Only (No CDN)
Your website uses server-level caching without any CDN.Cache + CDN
Your website uses caching along with a standard CDN.Cache + Enterprise CDN
Your website uses caching with an advanced enterprise-level CDN for faster global delivery.
How the Test Was Performed
The test was designed to simulate real-world traffic behavior:
Visitors accessed:
Homepage
Login page
All posts and pages
Each visit included:
Images
CSS files
JavaScript files
The system simulated a real browser experience by loading all assets that were not already cached.
Load Simulation Details
Traffic gradually increased from 1 user to 1,000 users over 20 minutes
Peak traffic was maintained for 10 minutes
This helps measure how stable the website remains under sustained high load
Key Takeaway
Using a CDN significantly improves your website’s performance, especially during high traffic.
Without CDN: Higher load on server, slower response times
With CDN: Faster content delivery and reduced server stress
With Enterprise CDN: Best performance with improved speed and reliability globally
Why This Matters
If your website receives traffic from different regions or experiences spikes in visitors, using a CDN can:
Improve page load speed
Reduce server load
Provide a smoother user experience
Note:
This benchmark is based on a controlled test environment. Actual performance may vary depending on your application, traffic patterns, and configurations.
Metric Definitions
Metric | Description |
Total requests | Number of HTTP requests k6 completed during the test |
Total errors | Number of failed/error responses returned |
P95 response time | 95th percentile response time — 95% of requests completed within this duration |
WP-Login avg response | Average response time for the login page (301 redirect that validates credentials) |
Page cum avg | Cumulative average response time for HTML pages |
Asset cum avg | Cumulative average response time for static assets (CSS, JS, images) |
Load test results — throughput & reliability
Comparison of request throughput, error rate, and response times across cache configurations.
Metric | Cache only | Cache + Enterprise CDN |
Total requests | 147,300 | 264,178 +79.35% |
Total errors | 8,700 | 7 −99.92% |
P95 response time | 43.2 s | 7.01 s −83.77% |
WP-Login avg response | 28 s | 9 s −67.86% |
Page cum avg | 14 s | 4.3 s −69.29% |
Asset cum avg | 5.6 s | 1.91 s −65.89% |
Page speed metrics (ms)
Real-user experience metrics captured alongside the load test, comparing cache-only against CDN-enabled configurations.
Metric | Cache Only | Cache + Enterprise CDN |
LCP | 678 ms | 488 ms −28.02% |
First Contentful Paint | 607 ms | 435 ms −28.34% |
Time to Interactive | 630 ms | 435 ms −30.95% |
Speed Index | 693 ms | 488 ms −29.58% |
TTFB | 411 ms | 317 ms −22.9% |
Fully Loaded | 1,500 ms | 526 ms −64.9% |
How to Integrate Cloudflare Enterprise Add-on
How to Optimize Cloudflare Billing and Avoid Double Charges Avoiding double charges is crucial for efficient billing. Below are best practices:
Configure DNS Records Correctly
Ensure proper DNS configuration for your domains:
Root Domain: Use either A records or CNAME records correctly for your domain.
www-prefixed Domain: Use CNAME records pointing to the primary domain.
Prevent and Resolve Double Billing
Double charges occur if the same domain is added more than once. To fix or prevent this, make sure:
Each domain is configured only once.
If charged twice, request a billing adjustment promptly.
Setup for Secondary Domains
For secondary domains pointing to the same application:
Direct traffic using A records with the IP of your server.
Remove these domains from Cloudflare proxying.
Prompt Deactivation
Deactivate unused Cloudflare integrations to avoid recurring fees and double charges.
You can integrate the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on with existing and new websites. But, let's first understand the difference between both as further steps slightly vary.
Existing Websites vs New Websites
An existing website means that your website is live from Cloudways and uses your custom domain, e.g., example.com.
On the other hand, a new website means that your website is not currently live from Cloudways.
Therefore, you should first follow the take site live checklist and complete steps 1, 2, and 3. Once done, come back to this article and resume reading.
To integrate Cloudflare with your domain, you need to point it to the Cloudflare Enterprise Network using a CNAME record.
Setting up a CNAME record involves pointing your apex domain or subdomain to another domain.
Ensure there are no existing A, AAAA, or other CNAME records that conflict with the new one.
If you encounter a conflict, consider removing the old records to ensure smooth configuration.
You can follow the following section for step-by-step instructions on how to integrate Cloudflare Enterprise with your application.
Alternatively, you can also review this video tutorial:
Step-by-step instructions - How to integrate Cloudflare Enterprise with your application?
Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your credentials.
From Integrations in the Side-Bar Menu
Click on Integrations from the Side-Bar Menu.
Click on View All.
On Cloudways Integrations page, navigate to Cloudflare and click on it.
Choose the desired domain and click on three dot menu.
Click on Enable Cloudflare.
Finally, click on Enable Cloudflare to complete the process via Integrations.
Enable Cloudflare from Application Management:
From the top menu bar, open Servers.
Choose the desired server and click on www.
Next, choose your application name.
Under Application Management, select Cloudflare.
Click on Add your Domain. You can also see pricing by clicking on See Pricing option.
If you already have a domain(s), click on 'Enable it' as shown in the image below.
Enter your domain name. Cloudflare Enterprise supports root domains and subdomains. You can enter a root domain (example.com) or a subdomain (support.example.com). Entering the root domain automatically covers the www domain, and it will be protected by Cloudflare Enterprise. You can also add multiple domains by clicking on '+ Add another Domain' option. Click on Save Changes.
Next, you must point your domain to your site's CNAME record using your DNS registrar panel. Click CNAME Records to view more information.
The process of adding DNS records varies across different DNS managers. We are using Namecheap for demonstration purposes.
Tip:
If you have subscribed to the DNS Made Easy add-on, you can review this article to add the necessary CNAME record.
First, copy the CNAME Record (Name/Host and Hostname).
Next, visit your DNS registrar and add the CNAME record.
Important
Before adding the CNAME record, remove any existing CNAME and A records for your domain pointing to any server IP address to avoid conflicts.
Type: CNAME
Name/Host: @ or subdomain (e.g., blog)
Hostname/Value/Target: secure.cloudways.cloud
TTL: Automatic/Default or select of your choice
If your DNS provider does not support CNAME records or rejects them, you can use A records as an alternative. Enter the following A records:Type: A
Hostname: @ or subdomain (e.g., blog)
Value: 162.159.136.54
Value: 162.159.137.54
TTL: Automatic/Default or select of your choice
After configuring records for your root domain, we recommend pointing the www version of your website to Cloudflare Enterprise Network. To do so, simply add or edit a CNAME record for your www domain pointing to your root domain.
Type: CNAME
Name/Host: www
Hostname/Value/Target: secure.cloudways.cloud
TTL: Automatic/Default or select of your choice
Once you have added the DNS records, it may take up to 24 hours for your DNS changes to propagate and be effective. Therefore, Cloudways will periodically check to verify if the required DNS records are added or not for Cloudflare integration.
Switch back to the Cloudways Platform and click Done; you will notice the current status as 'Domain not live', which means Cloudways is still verifying the DNS records.
The time required to complete Cloudflare integration is dependent on the DNS propagation. We will notify you via email once the Cloudflare integration is successful, and the status will also change to 'Active'. If the status doesn't change after receiving the email, you can click the ⟳ Refresh button.
Once Cloudflare is integrated with your domain, the status will change to 'Active'. Next, visit How to Manage Cloudflare to learn more about adding additional domains to it and viewing the statistics and performance of your application.
You can also enable Cloudflare on your domain by adding domain option in the Application Management. Click here to go through the complete guide.
How to Manage Cloudflare Enterprise Add-on
Cloudflare Enterprise dashboard on the Cloudways Platform features many helpful options to manage the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on.
1. Add Additional Domains
You can also add additional domains associated with the same application to protect them with the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on.
For instance, if you have added example.com previously but you also have additional domains associated with the same application, such as example2.com or mydomain.com, you can add them here.
Under the Domains tab, click Add Domains.
Enter your domain name. Cloudflare Enterprise supports root domains and subdomains. You can enter a root domain (example.com) or a subdomain (support.example.com).
Entering the root domain automatically covers the www domain, and it will be protected by Cloudflare Enterprise.
Next, click Enable.
The further process is precisely the same as integrating the first domain. Navigate to How to Integrate Cloudflare Enterprise Add-on for step-by-step instructions.
Note:
Each eligible domain added to Cloudflare Enterprise receives a one-time free trial. The trial ends after 30 days or 100 GB bandwidth usage, whichever comes first. Once the trial ends, the domain is automatically moved to the paid plan and billed on a pro-rated basis for the remaining days of the current billing month.
2. Transfer Domains
You can transfer the Cloudflare subscription of a domain to another application hosted on the same or a different server within your Cloudways account. The traffic will be routed instantly to the selected application once the subscription is transferred.
Important:
Please note that if your destination application does not have a Cloudflare integration, all the settings of source applications will be copied. If your destination application has at least one Cloudflare integration with the same domain, then the source settings will not be copied on that particular application having same domain.
Under the Domains tab, navigate to your desired domain. Click ⋮ Menu and select Transfer.
Choose your destination application.
Finally, click Transfer.
Important:
If a domain has an active Cloudflare Enterprise trial during transfer, the trial continues on the new server or application without changing the remaining trial days or bandwidth limit. However, if the domain was previously subscribed to Cloudflare Enterprise and then unsubscribed, the new owner cannot start another free trial for the same domain.
3. Delete Domains
You can delete the Cloudflare subscription of your domain if you no longer require the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on. However, deleting a domain from here only cancels the Cloudflare Enterprise subscription for that particular domain.
Important Note:
Deleting a domain means that the traffic for that domain will not be served using Cloudflare; therefore, you need to update your DNS records and point them to your Cloudways server IP address.
If you cancel your Cloudflare Enterprise subscription on a domain and resubscribe using the same domain, it will be counted as a separate paid subscription. The same domain will not be eligible for another free trial if it has already used the trial.
Under the Domains tab, navigate to your desired domain. Click ⋮ Menu and select Delete.
Next, click Delete.
4. Bandwidth Consumption
You can view and monitor the bandwidth consumed in the current month by your applications.
To view the bandwidth consumption of each application. Head over to the Domains tab and view the bandwidth consumption of each application.
To view the collective bandwidth usage by all applications, visit the Overview tab and check the Bandwidth section.
During the Cloudflare Enterprise free trial, bandwidth usage is tracked per domain. The trial ends automatically once the domain reaches 100 GB bandwidth or completes 30 days, whichever comes first. Cloudways also sends an email notification when 80% of the 100 GB trial bandwidth is consumed.
5. Features & Settings
In this section, we will discuss controlling the Cloudflare Enterprise features so you can fully utilize the Cloudflare potential according to your needs. Here's a list of features available to use:
Early Hints: Boost page loading speed by automatically caching "preload" and "preconnect" link headers, sending them as "Early hints" to the browser.
Image Optimization: Benefit from Cloudflare Polish, which optimizes image size through lossless or lossy compression to accelerate image downloads. Users can choose from the following options:
Lossless: Reduce file size for GIF, PNG, and JPEG images by removing non-essential data like headers and metadata, maintaining visual quality.
Lossy: Enable JPEG image compression in addition to the lossless mode, allowing for some reduction in visual quality.
Off: Disable image optimization entirely.
Mobile Optimization: Cloudflare’s Mirage feature was deprecated on September 15, 2025, and is no longer available. As per Cloudflare’s latest announcement, Mirage has been retired and Cloudflare now recommends using standard lazy loading and responsive images to optimize image performance across both mobile and desktop devices. These modern techniques help improve loading times without relying on Mirage.
Note: Mirage previously handled virtualized and lazy-loaded images, but since it has been deprecated, Cloudflare recommends switching to lazy loading and responsive image markup for optimal performance.
ScrapeShield: Safeguard your website against email address harvesting by bots and spammers with ScrapeShield. It automatically displays blurred email addresses on your website, ensuring protection without any visible changes for human visitors.
Caching: Toggle caching for static content, including images, HTML, and JavaScript, at Cloudflare's edge servers. You can disable caching from here. In that case, Cloudflare will continue proxying traffic to your server, but all the content requests will be served by your server, which can produce a significant load on your webserver and negatively impact your application's performance.
Edge Page Caching: Enable Edge Page Caching to cache dynamic content and serve your entire website from Cloudflare's edge network. This optimization technique significantly reduces the time to first byte (TTFB) and ensures fast and consistent website performance. Note that enabling Edge Page Caching will automatically disable Varnish Page Caching to prevent conflicts.
Note: This is only available for WordPress and WooCommerce applications and customers using the Cloudways New Interface.Under Attack Mode: Activate Cloudflare's Under Attack Mode as a last resort when your site is under a Layer 7 DDoS attack. This feature provides extra security measures by making your website accessible only to validated users while blocking suspicious traffic. Verified bots like GoogleBot and Bingbot will still be able to crawl your site unaffected.
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Controls protection against malicious traffic and common web attacks.
What it does: Helps block suspicious requests, bots, and known threats before they reach your application.
Default status: ON
Where to find it: Cloudflare → Settings → Security
When to change it: Keep enabled unless you are troubleshooting blocked requests.
Rate Limiting
Controls how many requests a visitor can make within a short time.
What it does: Prevents abuse, brute-force attempts, and sudden traffic spikes from overwhelming your site.
Default status: ON
Where to find it: Cloudflare → Settings → Security
When to change it: Disable temporarily only if legitimate users are being limited.
Browser Integrity Check (BIC)
Adds an extra check on incoming visitors.
What it does: Detects unusual or risky browser behavior and blocks harmful visitors.
Default status: ON
Where to find it: Cloudflare → Settings → Security
When to change it: Rarely needed. Disable only for compatibility testing.
AI Crawler Blocking
Controls whether AI data-collection bots can access your site.
What it does: Blocks known AI crawlers from scanning or collecting your content.
Default status: OFF
Where to find it: Cloudflare → Settings → Security
When to use it: Enable if you want to restrict AI bot access.
SSL Cipher Control
Controls which encryption methods are allowed for secure connections.
What it does: Lets you choose supported SSL cipher suites for HTTPS security.
Where to find it: Cloudflare → Settings → Optimizations
How it works:
Provides a dropdown list of safe, modern, and widely compatible ciphers
Automatically validates selections before applying changes
Displays clear error messages if an invalid combination is chosen
Best practice:
Use the recommended defaults unless you have specific compliance or security requirements.
Keep in Mind
Security features are enabled by default to provide immediate protection
Changes may briefly affect traffic behavior
If visitors experience access issues, review recent security changes
Note for Customers Using Cloudflare (Individual Plan):
If you are already managing your DNS records directly in Cloudflare (Free, Pro, or Business plan), make sure that the CNAME records provided for Cloudflare Enterprise (via Cloudways) remain set to DNS Only (grey cloud) in your Cloudflare dashboard.
Once Cloudflare Enterprise is activated through Cloudways, caching, traffic routing, and Page Rules configured in your personal Cloudflare account will no longer apply to that hostname. All performance, caching, and security settings will be managed through the Cloudways Cloudflare Enterprise integration instead.
6. Cache And Purge Configurations
Edge Page Caching Rules
Cloudflare Edge Page Caching follows the same Varnish rules for WordPress. Here is a list of all the essential configurations, cookies, and URLs excluded by default for WordPress.
Note:
Edge Page Caching is only available for WordPress and WooCommerce applications and is available only on Cloudways New Interface.
Item Name | Description |
POST | All POST requests are excluded. |
HTTP Authorization | All password-protected websites are excluded. |
WordPress Pages | All of the following WordPress pages are excluded.
|
WooCommerce Pages | All of the following WooCommerce specific pages are excluded.
|
Cookies | All of the following cookies are excluded.
|
How to Configure Smart Cache Purge
Smart Cache Purge will be automatically setup on new subscriptions (launched on/after June 8th, 2023).
If you have an application(s) launched before June 8th, 2023, you will need to follow the same process by going to the Overview tab and click Configure.
Note:
Edge Page Caching is only available for WordPress and WooCommerce applications and is available only on Cloudways New Interface.
In case, you want to set up Smart Cache purge again, go to the Overview tab and click Re-Configure.
How to Purge Cache?
You can purge Cloudflare cache on-demand instead of waiting for CDN's predetermined cache expiry time.
Purging cache helps remove existing cached content of your website from Cloudflare CDN and cache the latest version of your website so that updated content can be served to the visitors. Please note that purging the cache may slow down your website temporarily until the cache is recreated.
If you have recently updated your website, purging the cache would be helpful as it prevents the older version of your website assets from being delivered to visitors.
How to Exclude URLs from Cloudflare?
You can specify URLs of pages or posts in the Breeze plugin to exclude them from Cloudflare and Varnish cache. Excluding a URL automatically adds a "no-cache" control header to avoid caching that particular page or post.
Viewing Cloudflare Analytics
Once the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on is enabled, you can monitor your website’s performance directly from the Analytics tab in the Cloudways Platform.
These analytics provide a clear breakdown of requests, data transfer, and cache performance, helping you understand how Cloudflare is serving your traffic.
Below are examples of the analytics dashboard you will see:
Request Summary: Shows the total number of requests served by Cloudflare and the origin, along with detailed cache hit/miss information.
Data Transfer Summary: Displays how much data was served by Cloudflare versus your origin server, along with cache status details.
These stats will help you track the efficiency of Cloudflare caching and identify opportunities to improve site performance by reducing origin server load.
You can also use the data transfer information to monitor trial bandwidth usage and understand when your domain is approaching the 100 GB trial limit.
How to Bypass Cloudflare for Troubleshooting
If you want to bypass Cloudflare for troubleshooting purposes, you can simply update your host entries in the host file. This method is a recommended method for troubleshooting.
Alternatively, you can temporarily update your existing A records to point to your Cloudways server instead of Cloudflare. In the case of the CNAME record, please remove the CNAME record pointing to Cloudflare and add A records temporarily pointing to your Cloudways server.
If your DNS registrar does not accept '@' in the name field, leave it blank. Most DNS managers will default to the root domain when the name field is empty.
FAQs
For transitioning from Other Firewall Services, can I transition easily from another provider?
Yes, replacing previous DNS entries linked to your old firewall and utilizing the ones provided by Cloudways ensures a smooth switch to Cloudflare Enterprise.
General Questions
What is Cloudflare?
Cloudflare is a popular cloud-based service that delivers services like Content Delivery Network (CDN), DNS, SSL, website protection, page caching, and acceleration. Learn more about Cloudflare.
How does Cloudflare work?
Cloudflare sits between your website visitors and the server, acting as a proxy. As a result, your website visitors don't communicate with the server anymore; instead, it communicates with the Cloudflare network.
As a result, Cloudflare reduces the number of requests to your server while allowing many visitors to access your website. At the same time, all the data passing through the Cloudflare servers is monitored to proactively block malicious traffic, filter out bad actors (like bots), and keep your website safe from any potential attacks. Learn more about how Cloudflare works.
What does Cloudflare Enterprise add-on offer?
By integrating the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on with your application, you access 200+ unique locations for the Global Content Delivery Network (CDN), an intelligent website firewall, and many performance and security features. Whether you are a small, medium, or large-sized business, the Enterprise plan is the right choice. Learn more about all the features of the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on.
How much does Cloudflare Enterprise add-on cost?
Cloudflare Enterprise pricing is based on the number of subscribed domains in your account. The monthly price per domain decreases as you add more domains:
1–4 domains: $4.99/domain/month
5–9 domains: $3.99/domain/month
10–24 domains: $2.99/domain/month
25+ domains: $1.99/domain/month
Each eligible domain receives a one-time free trial that ends after 30 days or 100 GB bandwidth usage, whichever comes first. After the trial ends, the domain is moved to the paid plan and billed on a pro-rated basis for the remaining days of the current billing month. Bandwidth overage is charged at $0.02/GB.
Can I reactivate the same domain after canceling the subscription?
Yes, you can reactivate Cloudflare Enterprise on the same domain after canceling it. However, it will be counted as a separate paid subscription. If the domain has already used its free trial, it cannot start another free trial again.
I already have the free Cloudflare CDN. So why should I opt for Cloudflare Enterprise?
The free version of Cloudflare CDN is also good but offers limited features; therefore, if you have a mission-critical website where website performance, security, and availability are top priorities, the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on is the right choice.
Enterprise CDN caches your content as close as possible to your visitors, optimizes it on the fly, and serves it on a priority basis over all other Cloudflare traffic.
The Enterprise plan also offers security features that the free version does not, such as Web Application Firewall (WAF) advanced rules that block hackers and mitigate attacks before you even notice.
Additionally, it offers priority DDoS protection, PCI DSS compliance, and much more. Learn more about all the features of the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on.
I have a small website, so should I use the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on?
The Cloudflare Enterprise add-on is for websites of all sizes. Cloudflare Enterprise caches your website content to accelerate your website performance, positively impacting your website's SEO. It also optimizes images, compresses files, and improves image performance for users on a mobile connection.
Cloudflare also offers excellent security with an intelligent firewall that updates itself to deal with the latest threats and includes rulesets specifically for WordPress and Magento. DDoS attacks are mitigated within 3 seconds, so your website will always be available. Learn more about how Cloudflare works and the features of the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on.
Will Cloudways have access to my personal Cloudflare account?
No, Cloudways will not have access to your personal Cloudflare account.
I don't see the Cloudflare Enterprise option for my application. What should I do?
If the Cloudflare section is not available for applications, it could be because:
You are trying to integrate Cloudflare on staging applications.
Your application is currently subscribed to CloudwaysCDN. You can read the announcement regarding CloudwaysCDN.
Will Cloudflare affect my site's SEO?
Cloudflare will positively impact your website's SEO as Cloudflare's firewall and DDoS protection will secure it. Without a firewall and DDoS protection in place, an attack on your site can lead to your server being inaccessible to search engine crawlers. With Cloudflare's DDoS protection, attacks on your site will be stopped before they cause any issues for search engine crawlers.
Does the add-on support Automatic Platform Optimization (APO)?
APO is a Cloudflare product for WordPress websites to achieve Full Page Caching over Cloudflare's Global Content Delivery Network (CDN) to serve static HTML pages to users. We are not currently offering Full Page Caching with our integration, but it will be launched soon.
Which static files are cached by Cloudflare?
Cloudflare only caches based on the file extension and not by MIME type. The Cloudflare CDN does not cache HTML by default. The following content is cached by default. Additionally, Cloudflare caches a website's robots.txt.
7z | dmg | jpeg | png | webm |
avi | ejs | js | ppt | webp |
avif | eot | mid | pptx | woff |
apk | eps | midi | ps | woff2 |
bin | exe | mkv | rar | xls |
bmp | flac | mp3 | svg | xlsx |
bz2 | gif | mp4 | svgz | zip |
class | gz | ogg | swf | zst |
css | ico | otf | tar |
|
csv | iso | tif |
| |
doc | jar | pict | tiff |
|
docx | jpg | pls | ttf |
|
Can I change firewall/Page rules settings?
Since it's a fully managed firewall, you will not be able to see or customize any firewall settings or page rules. Instead, the Cloudflare Enterprise will automatically take care of the security and speed of your site.
How to exclude custom cookies for Edge Page Caching?
Unfortunately, this feature is currently unavailable. However, this will be released in the next iteration.
Why is Cloudflare not allowing me to log in to the admin dashboard?
Cloudflare Enterprise may block you from accessing the website admin dashboard in case you have a custom admin dashboard URL. In this case, you must revert to the default admin dashboard URL. For WordPress, it should be domain.com/wp-admin and for Magento, it should be domain.com/admin.
Is Cloudflare Enterprise Integration Using Cloudflare's WAF?
Yes, it does. The Cloudflare Enterprise is powered by three WAF Managed Rulesets that are pre-configured to provide immediate protection against:
Zero-day vulnerabilities
Top-10 attack techniques
Use of stolen/exposed credentials
Extraction of sensitive data
Compatability-related Questions
Can I integrate the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on if I don't have a Cloudflare account? No additional Cloudflare account is necessary as the integration uses the Cloudways-managed setup for seamless Cloudflare Enterprise access.
Cloudflare Enterprise add-on does not require you to create a Cloudflare account. Instead, you can start today by integrating Cloudflare Enterprise with your application.
I already have a Cloudflare plan (free or paid); how can I integrate the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on?
The Cloudflare Enterprise add-on is separate from your personal Cloudflare account; you can continue using your personal Cloudflare plan or integrate the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on by Cloudways.
Can I use a different CDN other than Cloudflare Enterprise?
Cloudways gives you complete freedom to choose your CDN provider, requiring manual work. Cloudflare Enterprise is an optional add-on that you can activate from the Cloudways Platform whenever you are ready with a few clicks.
Can I use my custom SSL Certificate with Cloudflare?
Unfortunately, we don't support custom SSL certificates currently with Cloudflare.
Are my plugins compatible with Cloudflare?
WordPress plugins compatible with Cloudways' existing cache configuration will remain compatible with the Cloudflare Enterprise.
Can I still manage my DNS records with my current DNS provider?
Yes, you can. Enabling Cloudflare doesn't require changing your nameservers; therefore, you can still manage your DNS records at your current DNS provider.
Once Cloudflare is activated, do I need to disable the cache plugin like Breeze/WP-Rocket?
No, you don't need to disable any cache plugins. However, please note that the Content Delivery Network (CDN) cache functionality is limited to static content. In contrast, Breeze is a page cache plugin that helps with dynamic page caching.
Can I use any other cache plugin other than Breeze for Smart Cache Purge?
While you can utilize other cache plugins, such as WP Rocket or FlyingPress, it's necessary to have Breeze installed and activated for Smart Cache Purge. To avoid conflicts with your current cache plugin, ensure that all cache and optimization settings are disabled.
The Smart Cache Purge Configure option in the Cloudways Platform automatically installs the Breeze plugins (if not already installed) and disables all configurations to prevent conflicts with your existing cache plugin.
Can I use Ezoic CDN along with Cloudflare?
No, you can not use Ezoic CDN with Cloudflare as it offers its CDN; thus, it is not recommended to reintegrate Ezoic CDN on top of Cloudflare CDN.
Integration-related Questions
Do I need to remove the existing A Records pointed to my Cloudways server while pointing the domain using CNAME or A records?
To avoid conflicts, you must remove any existing A and CNAME records for your domain pointing to your Cloudways server IP address. Ensure to add both IP addresses (162.159.136.54 and 162.159.137.54) for A records to fully utilize Cloudflare’s load balancing capabilities.
Should I add both A records or one while pointing the domain to Cloudflare
Enterprise Network, as the CNAME record is not supported by my DNS provider?
You can use any one A record while integrating it. However, we highly recommend adding both A records to ensure you can fully utilize the Cloudflare load network balancing setup.
Do I need to do anything extra if I use WordPress multisite application?
If you use the WordPress Multisite application, you don't require any additional steps to integrate the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on.
When does the Cloudflare Enterprise free trial end?
The Cloudflare Enterprise free trial ends when the domain completes 30 days or consumes 100 GB bandwidth, whichever happens first. After the trial ends, the domain is automatically moved to the paid plan.
How is Cloudflare Enterprise billed after the free trial ends?
After the free trial ends, Cloudflare Enterprise is billed on a pro-rated basis for the remaining days of the current billing month. Any bandwidth overage is charged separately at $0.02/GB.
Can the same domain use the Cloudflare Enterprise free trial again?
No. Each unique domain can use the Cloudflare Enterprise free trial only once. If the trial ends or Cloudflare Enterprise is unsubscribed from that domain, the same domain cannot start another free trial again.
WordPress hosting by Cloudways allows you to use Cloudflare for a secure and fast experience.
Integrate Cloudflare Enterprise with your application for enhanced speed and security. Boost your site's performance today! Get Started with Cloudflare Enterprise.
That’s it! We hope this article was helpful.
Need Help?
If you need assistance, feel free to:
Visit the Cloudways Support Center
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