Understanding Cloudflare Nameservers

Using Cloudflare Nameservers with SillyHost

Cloudflare is a popular DNS and CDN provider that many SillyHost customers use alongside their hosting. When you add your domain to Cloudflare, you need to change your nameservers to Cloudflare's nameservers, which then manage all DNS for your domain.

How Cloudflare Nameservers Work

When you sign up for Cloudflare and add a domain:

1. Cloudflare scans your existing DNS records and imports them.
2. Cloudflare assigns you two unique nameservers (e.g., anna.ns.cloudflare.com and bob.ns.cloudflare.com).
3. You update your domain's nameservers at your registrar (SillyHost or wherever the domain is registered).
4. Once the nameserver change propagates, Cloudflare manages all DNS queries for your domain.

Setting Up Cloudflare with SillyHost

1. Create a free Cloudflare account at cloudflare.com.
2. Click Add a Site and enter your domain name.
3. Select the Free plan (or a paid plan if you need advanced features).
4. Cloudflare will scan and display your current DNS records. Review them carefully — ensure all records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.) are present and correct.
5. Cloudflare will provide two nameservers. Copy them.
6. Log in to your SillyHost client area, go to your domain settings, and update the nameservers to the Cloudflare ones.
7. Return to Cloudflare and click Check Nameservers. It may take a few hours for Cloudflare to detect the change.

Benefits of Cloudflare Nameservers

• Faster DNS resolution: Cloudflare operates one of the fastest DNS networks globally.
• DDoS protection: Built-in protection against distributed denial-of-service attacks.
• Free SSL: Automatic SSL certificates for your domain.
• CDN caching: Static assets are cached at edge locations worldwide.
• Firewall rules: Block or challenge suspicious traffic.

Important Considerations

• All DNS changes must now be made in Cloudflare, not in DirectAdmin or SillyHost.
• Ensure your mail records (A record for mail, MX records) are set to DNS only (grey cloud) in Cloudflare.
• Set SSL/TLS mode to Full (Strict) for proper encryption between Cloudflare and your SillyHost server.