Cloudflare DNS & Domain Management — Birdor Cloudflare Tutorial Series (Part 2)
Leeting Yan
Cloudflare DNS is one of the fastest and most reliable DNS services in the world. It’s also one of the easiest to use. Whether you’re hosting a Hugo site, an API, or a full web application, Cloudflare DNS gives you a stable foundation with minimal maintenance.
This tutorial provides a calm, practical walkthrough of managing domains on Cloudflare. If you’re new to DNS, don’t worry — our goal is clarity, not complexity.
1. What Cloudflare DNS Provides
Cloudflare DNS offers:
- global DNS resolution
- DNSSEC
- instant propagation
- built-in protection against DNS-based attacks
- simple UI for managing DNS records
- optional proxying (Cloudflare’s CDN + security)
It is both fast and stable, making it a good default choice for personal projects, startups, and production systems.
2. Adding a Domain to Cloudflare
Step 1: Add your domain
- Log in to Cloudflare
- Select Add a Site
- Enter your domain name (e.g.,
birdor.com) - Choose the Free plan unless you need premium features
Cloudflare will scan your existing DNS records.
Step 2: Update nameservers
Your domain registrar (e.g., Namecheap, AliCloud, GoDaddy) holds your nameservers.
Cloudflare will provide two nameserver addresses like:
melinda.ns.cloudflare.com
sri.ns.cloudflare.com
Update your registrar’s nameservers to Cloudflare’s.
DNS will now be managed entirely from Cloudflare.
Step 3: Wait for propagation
Usually takes a few minutes, sometimes up to a few hours.
You will receive an email once your domain is active.
3. Understanding DNS Records (Calm and Simple)
Below are the records you will use most often.
3.1 A Record
Maps a domain to an IPv4 address.
Example:
A example.com → 192.0.2.10
3.2 AAAA Record
Maps a domain to an IPv6 address.
3.3 CNAME Record
Points one domain to another domain.
Example:
CNAME [www.example.com](http://www.example.com) → example.com
Useful for:
- Cloudflare Pages custom domains
- subdomain aliases
- external services (e.g., Mailgun, Vercel)
3.4 TXT Record
Stores text data.
Used for:
- domain verification
- email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- ownership proof for platforms like GitHub or Google
3.5 MX Record
Controls email routing.
If you run email through a third party, they give these values.
3.6 NS Record
Defines authoritative nameservers for a domain or subdomain.
Most users won’t need to modify these.
4. Orange Cloud vs Grey Cloud (Proxy Modes)
Cloudflare provides a simple toggle per DNS record:
Orange Cloud — Proxy Mode
Cloudflare sits between the user and your server.
You receive:
- CDN acceleration
- edge caching
- web application firewall
- SSL termination
- DDoS protection
- smart routing
Use this for:
- websites
- APIs
- static assets
- Hugo sites
- Cloudflare Pages projects
Grey Cloud — DNS Only
Traffic bypasses Cloudflare entirely.
Use this for:
- mail servers
- SSH
- game servers
- services that do not work behind a reverse proxy
This toggle is unique to Cloudflare and extremely useful.
5. Securing Your Domain
5.1 Enable DNSSEC
Navigate to:
DNS → DNSSEC → Enable
DNSSEC protects against DNS spoofing and MITM attacks.
Cloudflare handles the heavy lifting.
5.2 Enforce HTTPS
Cloudflare → SSL/TLS
Set:
Always Use HTTPS: On
Minimum TLS Version: TLS 1.2
HSTS: Optional (understand implications first)
For Hugo sites deployed via Pages, Cloudflare already serves HTTPS automatically.
5.3 Proxy sensitive endpoints
By turning them orange, Cloudflare hides your origin IP and filters malicious traffic.
Recommended for:
/login/api- admin dashboards
6. Configuring a Custom Domain for Cloudflare Pages
If deploying Hugo via Cloudflare Pages:
Step 1: Go to your Pages project
Step 2: Add Custom Domain
Step 3: Cloudflare sets DNS automatically
Usually it creates:
CNAME example.com → <your-project>.pages.dev
SSL is issued instantly.
Propagation is nearly instant when using Cloudflare DNS.
7. Best Practices for DNS Management
7.1 Keep DNS clean and minimal
Avoid unused or legacy records.
7.2 Use CNAME over A records when possible
It’s more flexible and easier to maintain.
7.3 Group TXT records logically
Especially for:
- SPF
- DKIM
- DMARC
- domain verifications
7.4 Use proxy mode for web traffic
Unless you have a strong reason not to.
7.5 Avoid exposing your origin IP
Proxied (orange cloud) records protect your backend.
7.6 Document your DNS choices
Especially important for multi-person teams.
8. Troubleshooting DNS
8.1 Domain not resolving
Check:
- Nameservers were updated
- No conflicting DNS records
- Record types match your hosting setup
8.2 SSL not active
Ensure:
- TLS mode is “Full” or “Full (strict)”
- DNS is proxied (orange)
- Certificate status is “Active”
8.3 Custom Pages domain not working
Common fix:
- Ensure CNAME →
yourproject.pages.dev - Remove A/AAAA duplicates
9. What’s Next
In Part 2, we explored the foundation of Cloudflare domain management:
- Adding domains
- Understanding DNS records
- Proxy vs DNS-only
- Securing DNS
- Custom domains for Pages
- Recommended practices
These skills support everything else in the Cloudflare ecosystem.
Next up:
Cloudflare Tutorial Series — Part 3: Deploying Hugo on Cloudflare Pages