DNS Management with Cloudflare
Cloudflare is one of the best-known internet infrastructure platforms today: it offers DNS, caching, SSL/TLS management, security, and performance optimization features within a single system. When a domain’s DNS management is moved to Cloudflare, Cloudflare’s authoritative nameservers become responsible for the domain’s name resolution, meaning that visitors and services receive from Cloudflare’s system which server, service, or record belongs to that domain. In the most common, so-called full setup, this requires the domain’s nameservers to be changed to the nameservers provided by Cloudflare.
This is beneficial for clients because DNS is a critical infrastructure element: if DNS is slow, faulty, or difficult to manage, it can affect the operation of the website, email services, various authentication methods, and related online services. Cloudflare provides a fast, flexible, and easy-to-manage authoritative DNS service that gives the domain performance and reliability while also offering protection against DDoS attacks, as well as network issues such as route leaks and hijacking.
What exactly does it mean that “Cloudflare manages the DNS”?
Simply put: the DNS records belonging to the domain — such as A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, and TXT records — are not managed through a traditional DNS interface, but within Cloudflare’s system. Cloudflare answers DNS queries arriving for the domain, and the records are propagated across Cloudflare’s global network. This can provide faster and more stable name resolution, while also making centralized record management much more convenient.
At the same time, it is important to understand that “Cloudflare manages the DNS” and “all web traffic goes through Cloudflare” are not always the same thing. Cloudflare can only proxy A, AAAA, and CNAME records used for IP address resolution. If a record is proxied, meaning it is in orange cloud status, Cloudflare returns its own anycast IP address, and the web traffic continues through Cloudflare’s network. In this case, Cloudflare is able to optimize, cache, and protect requests, while also hiding the real IP address of the origin server. If a record is DNS only, meaning it is in grey cloud status, Cloudflare returns the actual origin IP, and cannot apply the same HTTP/HTTPS acceleration and protection features to those requests.
This is especially useful from the client side because not every record should be handled in the same way. Hostnames belonging to a website can typically be proxied, while in the case of certain authentication, verification, or mail-related records, the correct setup is specifically for them to remain in DNS only status.
Why is it good if Cloudflare manages the DNS?
1. Fast and stable name resolution
DNS is the phone book of the internet. Every website visit, email delivery, or connection to an external service depends on it first. Cloudflare DNS serves these queries through its own global network, providing fast and reliable operation for the domain. This is an advantage in itself, even if not every record is proxied.
2. Higher level of security
Cloudflare supports DNSSEC, which protects DNS responses with cryptographic signatures and helps prevent traffic from being directed to a falsified or hijacked destination. This is especially important for domains where business, client, or internal systems depend on flawless name resolution.
3. More than DNS: performance and protection for proxied records
When the appropriate records are placed into proxied status, Cloudflare functions not only as a DNS provider, but also as a reverse proxy. In this case, the system can provide DDoS protection, request caching, optimization, and the use of several additional Cloudflare security features. This means that the service behind the domain becomes not only easier to reach, but also more resilient and in many cases faster.
4. SSL/TLS made easier
For activated domains, Cloudflare automatically issues and renews free, publicly trusted edge certificates by default. In addition, the SSL/TLS encryption mode controls how Cloudflare handles the connection between the visitor and Cloudflare, as well as between Cloudflare and the origin server.
5. More flexible DNS management even in special cases
Cloudflare supports the CNAME flattening feature, which makes it possible to use CNAME-like behavior even on the root domain while keeping resolution fast. This provides a more convenient and cleaner solution for many modern services, CDN connections, and platform integrations.
Why is this especially beneficial for SysLock clients?
Cloudflare is a strong platform on its own, but the real convenience comes from the fact that our clients do not need to log in to a separate Cloudflare account or switch between multiple systems. They can manage DNS directly from within our client area, simply and conveniently. Our system offers full Cloudflare DNS management, one-click cPanel DNS sync, proxy status switching, cache purge and SSL/TLS control, as well as a dedicated client-side DNS management interface.
In practice, this means that our clients can manage the DNS settings related to their domain through their familiar client account, all from a single interface. There is no need for a separate admin interface, separate API handling, or manual coordination for every single record change. This provides a simpler client experience, speeds up daily administration, and also reduces the possibility of errors. The “one-click DNS sync from cPanel” feature is especially useful during onboarding or migration, because it significantly reduces the chance of mistakes caused by manual record copying.
What does our system provide from the client’s perspective?
Full DNS management in the client interface
The client can manage the domain’s DNS records directly within the client portal. This means faster modifications, easier troubleshooting, and a better self-service experience. There is no need to open a support ticket for every small change.
One-click DNS sync from cPanel
If the domain or web hosting has so far been running in a cPanel-based environment, the module offers one-click DNS sync. This is a great help during migration, when creating a new Cloudflare zone, or during a move, because the existing records can be transferred quickly.
Orange/Grey Cloud switching
Switching proxy status is one of the most useful Cloudflare features. The client can decide whether a given web record should point directly to the origin server or operate through Cloudflare’s network. This provides flexibility during development, troubleshooting, optimization, or live operation as well.
Cache purge
When content changes, design updates, or file modifications are made on a website, it is often important that visitors see the new version immediately. Cloudflare’s Instant Purge feature is designed to make updates appear quickly. This function can also be used through our client-side interface.
SSL/TLS control
The SSL/TLS control feature is valuable because, with Cloudflare, the encryption mode is not only an aesthetic or administrative matter, but part of the security model. The client or administrator can react more quickly when a setting needs to be changed due to a certificate, origin connection, or transition.
Proxying, DDoS Protection, and Under Attack Mode
One of Cloudflare’s most important advantages is so-called proxying. When a record is proxied, meaning it is in orange cloud status, visitors do not reach the original server directly, but instead connect first to Cloudflare’s network, and the traffic is then forwarded from there to the origin server. This is especially useful because it allows the original server’s IP address to be hidden, while Cloudflare can filter, optimize, and protect incoming requests. Cloudflare specifically highlights that DDoS protection, caching, and several other security functions are available for proxied records.
In practice, this means that proxying makes the website much more resilient against overload and DDoS attacks. The system is able to automatically detect and mitigate DDoS attacks, and with proxied traffic these attacks often do not even reach the application or the origin server. This is especially important for high-traffic websites, webshops, corporate portals, or any business-critical web service.
It is important to know that this protection works most effectively for web traffic when the affected hostnames are truly in proxied status. If a record is DNS only, meaning it is in grey cloud status, Cloudflare does not sit in front of the HTTP/HTTPS traffic in the same way, so that record does not benefit from the same level of protection and acceleration. Cloudflare also specifically warns that non-proxied records may expose the origin IP address, which can weaken the defense.
Under Attack Mode is an extra protection switch that should be enabled when the website is under an application-layer, so-called layer 7 DDoS attack. In this case, Cloudflare performs additional security checks and may display a verification page, currently a Managed Challenge page, to visitors before allowing them to enter the website. Cloudflare explicitly describes this as an emergency, temporary tool, because although it is effective at filtering suspicious traffic, it may temporarily worsen the user experience and can also affect certain types of traffic — such as API calls.
In short: proxying does not only mean that the domain “goes through Cloudflare”, but also that web traffic gets an extra layer of security and performance. This can hide the origin server, reduce the risk of overload attacks, and, if necessary, activate an even stricter level of protection with the help of Under Attack Mode.
Additional Features
Our system is capable of adding and managing external domains, domain ownership validation to prevent unauthorized zone takeovers, and CSRF protection for AJAX requests.
What is the real benefit for the client?
From the client’s point of view, the biggest advantage is that domain DNS management reaches a more professional level while remaining simple to use. Cloudflare provides the fast and reliable DNS infrastructure, the performance and security extras for records that can be proxied, and SysLock integrates all of this into the familiar client account. This strengthens the technical background while simplifying administration.
Important to know
To use Cloudflare, the domain’s nameservers must be changed to the nameservers provided by Cloudflare, and before activation it is worth checking every record carefully, because in the case of incorrect or missing records, the domain’s services may temporarily not function properly. This is not a disadvantage of Cloudflare, but a natural part of any authoritative DNS migration — however, with proper preparation it can be carried out safely.
Asistentul WGS AI