DNS and Cloudflare

A site works once its domain and aliases resolve to the server. Open the site and choose DNS to see where its names should point and where they point now.

Where the names should point#

The panel shows one IPv4 (A) and one IPv6 (AAAA) target: the site's own address if you gave it one, otherwise the server's public addresses. A server without a public IPv6 address gets A records only.

With Cloudflare#

Connect Cloudflare once under Settings → DNS providers with an API token that can edit DNS (Zone → DNS → Edit; add Zone → Cache Purge → Purge and Zone → Zone Settings → Edit for the cache and SSL buttons). When one of your Cloudflare accounts holds the domain's zone:

• New sites get their A/AAAA records automatically. Names that already have records are left alone.
• The DNS pane lists each name with Points here, Points elsewhere or No record, and its current records.
• Point to this server replaces records that point elsewhere: it updates A/AAAA, removes a CNAME on the name and removes an address family the site has no target for. The proxy setting is kept.
• Cloudflare proxy turns the orange cloud on or off for a name.
• Purge Cloudflare cache clears the cache for the site's names.
• Cloudflare SSL mode sets the zone's mode. Once the site has HTTPS on the server, use Full (strict); Flexible sends visitors' traffic to the server unencrypted.

Every change is recorded in the activity log. Behind the proxy, issue the site's certificate with DNS-01 (see HTTPS and certificates).

Without Cloudflare#

The pane lists the records to create at your DNS provider: one A (and AAAA) record per name, pointing at the targets above.

Propagation#

Check next to a name asks Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Google (8.8.8.8) and Quad9 what they answer right now:

New records usually show within minutes; a changed record can take up to its old TTL. Wildcard aliases are not checked.