These steps were followed as part of the 2016 Speed Study on CloudFlare, as well as the 2017 Speed Study on Cloudflare & WP Rocket.
How to Setup CloudFlare – Step by Step
Step 1: First up, we need to get an account setup with CloudFlare. After signing up and activating through email, click through to Add Site.
Steps 2 & 3: Enter your Site’s Domain Name and Click Begin Scan.
Step 4: The scan should take about 1 minute to complete. Then click Continue Setup.
Step 5: The scan has picked up all the DNS records and has automatically selected the 2 crucial records we would like to assign to CloudFlare (those with a status of an orange cloud). With no changes needed, click Continue.
Steps 6 & 7: Select the CloudFlare Plan called Free Website, then click Continue.
Step 8: Now we need to go to our Domain Provider and change the current nameservers to the 2 CloudFlare nameservers. They say the transfer can take up to 24 hours, but I found it was much quicker than that, usually between 5 to 20 minutes.
Step 9: Then click Continue.
WP Rocket Integration
Steps 10 to 12: When the Nameservers have been transferred, the status in the CloudFlare Dashboard changes to Active. Once you see Active, it’s time to head back to our WordPress Dashboard and open up the WP Rocket Settings to the CDN tab. Check CloudFlare, uncheck CDN, then click Save Changes.
Step 13: A new CloudFlare tab will be created. Add the email address you used to setup CloudFlare.
Step 14: Add the API Key. The learn more link will help you to find this in CloudFlare.
Step 15: Add your Website’s Domain.
Steps 16 & 17: Choose Yes to enable Optimal CloudFlare settings. Then click Save Changes.
Step 18: And the final step in setting up CloudFlare is to Clear the Cache from the Tools tab.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this tutorial on How to Setup CloudFlare, please feel free to ask in the comments below and I will try my best to answer them 🙂
Hi, I'm Clint!
Hello, what cache plugin would you recommend to use with woocommerce and cloudflare ? It seems that WP cache made by automattic is the easiest and best to use ? Thanks.
Based on our testing of CloudFlare, WP Rocket was the best performer, followed by W3 Total Cache, then WP Super Cache. I guess it depends on what your budget is, as WP Rocket costs $39/year, while the other 2 are free. Personally, I would test all 3 and see which is quickest for your site.