Cloudflare helps improve your website’s speed, security, and reliability by sitting between your visitors and your web server. To start using its powerful features, you first need to connect your domain to Cloudflare. The good news? It’s quick and easy — you can do it in just a few steps.
There are two simple ways to set up Cloudflare for your domain:
- Using a CNAME record – This option lets you connect only your subdomain (for example, www.yourdomain.com) to Cloudflare while keeping your main domain hosted elsewhere.
- Changing your nameservers to Cloudflare’s – This is the most common and recommended option. It gives Cloudflare full control to manage your DNS, security, and performance features. You’ll be able to do this right after creating your Cloudflare account.
Once you’ve signed up, Cloudflare will guide you through adding your first domain. Just type in the domain name you want to use, click Continue, and follow the prompts to begin the setup. Don’t worry—Cloudflare will automatically scan your existing DNS records and show them to you for review before making any changes.
Click on “Continue” to view the next page:
On the next page, you’ll be asked to choose a Cloudflare plan. If you’re just getting started, you can simply select the Free plan — it includes all the essential features you need to boost your website’s performance and security.
Click on the Free plan icon, then hit the Select Plan button to continue with the setup.
You can always upgrade to a paid Cloudflare plan later if you want access to more advanced features like image optimization, enhanced security tools, and priority support. To compare all available plans, visit Cloudflare’s pricing page.
On the next screen, Cloudflare will display a list of your existing DNS records. Take a moment to carefully review them and make sure they match the records listed in your cPanel (or wherever your domain is currently managed). This ensures your website, email, and other services continue to work correctly after the setup.
Note: It’s best not to modify any DNS records at this stage. You’ll have the chance to make changes or updates later once the setup process is complete.
If the DNS records shown in the list look correct, simply scroll down and click “Continue to Activation” to move forward with enabling Cloudflare for your domain.
On the next page, Cloudflare will prompt you to update your domain’s nameservers. This step connects your domain fully to Cloudflare’s network, allowing it to manage your DNS, speed, and security features.
If your domain is registered with another domain registrar, log in to your registrar’s dashboard and update the nameservers for your domain to the ones provided by Cloudflare. Each registrar’s interface is slightly different, but you’ll usually find this option under Domain Settings or DNS Management.
If your domain is registered with Aveshost, follow the step-by-step instructions below to update your nameservers directly from your Aveshost client area.
1. Log in to your Aveshost account in a separate tab if you are not logged in yet :
2. Click on “Domains“
3. Select and click on “Manage“
4. Click on “Nameservers” and replace the custom nameservers with cloudflare nameservers
5. Click on “Change Nameservers” to save your changes.
Note: After you’ve updated your nameservers, it can take up to 24–48 hours (and occasionally longer) for the changes to fully propagate across the internet. This delay happens because local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) need time to update their DNS caches. During this period, some visitors may still see your old settings until the update completes everywhere.
Once your nameservers have been changed, go back to your Cloudflare dashboard and click “Check Nameservers Now.” Cloudflare will automatically verify the update and activate your domain once the new nameservers are detected.
If the nameservers have been successfully updated, you will see the Active status:
Now that your domain is connected to Cloudflare, you can proceed to set up your DNS records from the DNS menu.
On the DNS Records page, you’ll be able to add, edit, or delete DNS entries for your domain.
To add a new record:
- Click + Add Record.
- Choose the record type (e.g., A, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.).
- Enter the hostname (this could be your main domain or a subdomain).
- Provide the record value (such as your server’s IP address).
- The TTL (Time to Live) will be set automatically.
- Once done, click Save.
You can also control whether Cloudflare’s protection and caching are active for each record by toggling the orange/grey cloud under the Proxy Status column:
- Grey Cloud (DNS Only) → Traffic bypasses Cloudflare and connects directly to your server.
- Orange Cloud (Active) → Traffic is routed through Cloudflare (recommended for your website).
NOTE:
After changing your nameservers to Cloudflare, all the existing DNS records in your cPanel will no longer be active. This means your domain will now use the DNS settings managed inside your Cloudflare account.
Make sure all necessary DNS records (such as A, CNAME, MX, or TXT records) are correctly added in Cloudflare before completing the setup.
For example, if you later decide to switch to a new email service or update your server’s IP address, you’ll need to update the corresponding MX or A records directly within Cloudflare — not in cPanel.
