Knowledge Base

The internet age offers tremendous opportunities to access information, but it also brings various security threats to websites. Imagine your website, which you have painstakingly built and carefully curated over the years, suddenly being subjected to a cyber attack... To prevent this nightmare, having a security solution like Cloudflare is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

In this article, we will discuss in detail what Cloudflare is, how it can protect your website, and the best security practices. I will try to explain it in a language that everyone can understand, without getting bogged down in technical details. If you're ready, let's get started!

What is Cloudflare and Why Do We Need It?

Simply put, Cloudflare is a platform that acts as a "shield" between your website and its visitors. This shield protects your website from various cyber attacks while also improving its performance. So, it provides both security and makes your site load faster. Killing two birds with one stone!

Key Functions of Cloudflare

• DDoS Protection: DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks aim to overload your website and make it inaccessible. Cloudflare automatically detects and blocks these types of attacks, ensuring that your site remains constantly accessible. In other words, it prevents thousands of bots from attacking your site at once.
• Firewall (WAF): Cloudflare's firewall protects your website against common web attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). Setting up a firewall can be a bit complicated, but Cloudflare makes it easy for you.
• Content Delivery Network (CDN): Thanks to CDN, your website's content is stored on servers in different parts of the world. Thus, no matter where a visitor accesses your site from, content is served from the nearest server, and your site loads much faster.
• SSL/TLS Encryption: Cloudflare encrypts your website's traffic with SSL/TLS, ensuring the security of your users' data. In other words, your visitors' personal information, passwords, and other sensitive data are kept safe. Seeing the "https" indication shows that this encryption is active.
• Bot Protection: Malicious bots can fill your website with spam comments, steal your content, or slow down your server. Cloudflare detects and blocks these types of bots, protecting your site's performance.

Why Should I Choose Cloudflare?

There are many security solutions on the market, so why should you choose Cloudflare? Here are a few reasons:

• Ease of Use: Cloudflare's interface is quite user-friendly. Even those without technical knowledge can easily set it up and use it.
• Free Plan: Cloudflare offers a free plan. This plan provides basic security features and may be sufficient for many small websites.
• High Performance: Thanks to CDN, your website's speed increases and the user experience improves. Remember, Google considers website speed as one of the ranking criteria!
• Comprehensive Protection: Cloudflare protects your website against many different types of attacks.
• Automatic Optimization: Cloudflare automatically optimizes your website's performance. For example, it compresses images and cleans up unnecessary code.

Cloudflare Setup and Settings: Step-by-Step Guide

Setting up Cloudflare is actually quite simple. Here's what you need to do step by step:

1. Create a Cloudflare Account: Go to Cloudflare's website and create a free account.
2. Add Your Website: After logging into your account, click the "Add a Site" button and enter your website's address.
3. Choose Your Plan: Choose the plan that suits you. You can choose the free plan for starters.
4. Review Your DNS Records: Cloudflare will automatically scan your website's existing DNS records. Carefully review these records and make sure they are correct.
5. Update Cloudflare Nameservers: Cloudflare will give you two nameserver addresses. Replace these addresses with your domain's nameserver addresses from your domain provider's (e.g., Godaddy, Namecheap) panel. This process may take some time (usually 24-48 hours), be patient.
6. Review Your Cloudflare Control Panel: After your nameservers are updated, you can configure various security and performance settings from your Cloudflare control panel.

Remember: After the nameserver changes are made, you may experience short-term interruptions in access to your website. This is normal, don't worry. Everything will return to normal within a few hours.

Cloudflare Security Settings: Protect Your Website at Maximum Level

After installing Cloudflare, it is very important to configure your security settings correctly. Here are some important settings to pay attention to:

Security Level

Cloudflare offers different security levels. These levels determine the intensity of security checks on traffic to your website. There are different options available: "Essentially Off", "Low", "Medium", "High", and "Under Attack". Generally, the "Medium" level is sufficient for most websites. However, if you think you are under attack, you can set the security level to "Under Attack".

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

WAF protects your website against common web attacks such as SQL injection and XSS. To enable WAF, go to the "Security" section in your Cloudflare control panel and click the "WAF" tab. Make sure WAF is "On". You can also review and customize WAF's rules according to your needs.

Bot Protection

Malicious bots can fill your website with spam comments, steal your content, or slow down your server. Cloudflare protects your site's performance by detecting and blocking these types of bots thanks to bot protection. To enable bot protection, go to the "Security" section in your Cloudflare control panel and click the "Bots" tab. By enabling the "Bot Fight Mode" feature, you can provide additional protection against malicious bots.

SSL/TLS Encryption

SSL/TLS encryption encrypts your website's traffic, ensuring the security of your users' data. Cloudflare offers a free SSL certificate. To enable SSL/TLS encryption, go to the "SSL/TLS" section in your Cloudflare control panel and select the "Full" or "Full (strict)" option. The "Full (strict)" option requires a valid SSL certificate on your server as well.

Important Note: After changing your SSL/TLS settings, you may need to clear your website's cache. Otherwise, some users may experience problems accessing your site.

Page Rules

Page rules allow you to make custom settings for specific URLs or URL patterns. For example, to increase the security of your admin panel, you can allow access only from specific IP addresses. Or, you can extend the caching time for certain pages. To create page rules, go to the "Rules" section in your Cloudflare control panel and click the "Page Rules" tab.

Example Page Rule:

*example.com/wp-admin/*
Security Level: High
Cache Level: Bypass

This rule sets the security level to "High" and disables caching for all URLs starting with example.com/wp-admin/. This helps prevent unauthorized access attempts to your admin panel.

Cloudflare Protection Against DDoS Attacks: A Real-Life Example

Imagine an e-commerce site. During a busy campaign period, it is subjected to a DDoS attack by rival companies. The website becomes inaccessible and sales stop. This is where Cloudflare comes into play. Cloudflare automatically detects and blocks the attack, allowing the website to continue operating normally. As a result, the e-commerce site can continue its campaign uninterrupted and avoid a large loss of revenue. This is just one example, but similar scenarios happen every day.

Cloudflare and SEO: The Impact on Your Website's Search Engine Ranking

Cloudflare not only provides security but can also improve your website's SEO performance. How?

• Website Speed: Thanks to Cloudflare's CDN, your website's speed increases. Google considers website speed as one of the ranking criteria. Therefore, a faster website means better SEO performance.
• SSL/TLS Encryption: Google prioritizes websites with SSL/TLS encryption. Thanks to Cloudflare's free SSL certificate, you can improve your website's SEO performance.
• Mobile Compatibility: Cloudflare makes it easier for your website to be mobile-friendly. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites.
• Security: Google prioritizes secure websites. Thanks to Cloudflare's security features, you can increase your website's security and improve your SEO performance.

Important Note: Some of Cloudflare's settings can negatively impact your website's SEO performance. For example, aggressive bot protection can prevent Googlebot from crawling your site. Therefore, it is important to configure your Cloudflare settings carefully and cooperate with your SEO expert.

Cloudflare Plans and Pricing: Choose the One That's Right for You

Cloudflare offers a variety of plans to suit different needs and budgets:

You can choose the free plan to start. As your needs grow, you can switch to a plan with more advanced features.

Cloudflare Alternatives: Other Security Solutions

Cloudflare is not the only option. Here are some popular alternatives:

When deciding which solution is best for you, consider your website's needs, budget, and technical knowledge level.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does Cloudflare make my website completely secure? Unfortunately, no security solution guarantees 100% security. However, Cloudflare protects your website against many different types of attacks and significantly increases its security.
• Does Cloudflare slow down my website? On the contrary, your website's speed increases thanks to Cloudflare's CDN.
• Is Cloudflare free? Cloudflare has a free plan. This plan offers basic security features and may be sufficient for many small websites.
• How do I install Cloudflare? This article contains a step-by-step installation guide.
• Does Cloudflare affect my SEO? When configured correctly, Cloudflare can improve your SEO performance. However, incorrect configuration can negatively affect your SEO.

Conclusion and Summary

Cloudflare is a powerful security solution that protects your website from various cyber attacks while also improving its performance. Thanks to its ease of use, free plan, and comprehensive protection features, it is an ideal option for many website owners. In this article, we discussed in detail what Cloudflare is, how to install it, how to configure security settings, and its effects on SEO. I hope this information helps you increase the security of your website and create a more successful online presence.

Remember, the internet world is constantly changing and new threats are emerging. Therefore, it is very important to regularly check the security of your website and keep your security measures up to date. Wishing you safe days!