CloudFlare is a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN is a distributed network of servers that provides several advantages for a website:
- Cached content: By caching web site content, Cloudflare helps improve page load speeds, reduce bandwidth usage, and reduce CPU usage on the server.
- High availability: With a redundant network of servers worldwide, if a server experiences an issue, Cloudflare’s CDN simply “fails over” to use another server.
- Increased security: Cloudflare helps improve security by blocking threats before they even reach a site. Cloudflare’s CDN can also provide some protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
How the Cloudflare CDN Works
When you activate the Cloudflare CDN on your account, your site becomes part of the Cloudflare network. This network routes website traffic through Cloudflare’s global network of data centers. (To view a map of Cloudflare’s current data center locations, please visit https://www.cloudflare.com/network-map.)
Cloudflare optimizes web content delivery by storing duplicates of static content (such as CSS, JavaScript and image files) on its servers. Your website content is served from the Cloudflare server located nearest to your visitors, which decreases page load times. If a server in Cloudflare’s network is very busy, web traffic is automatically routed to the next server nearest to your visitors.
Cloudflare’s CDN also blocks threats and limits abusive bots before they reach your server. This helps increase security and reduce wasted bandwidth.
How Do I Start Using Cloudflare?
You can activate Cloudflare for your site through cPanel, however, it is highly recommended that you activate Cloudflare through Cloudflare. If your account does not include cPanel, you can register directly on Cloudflare’s website,