Add site to Cloudflare

When you add a site to Cloudflare, you need to create a new domain within Cloudflare and then perform additional steps to activate that domain.

​​ Prerequisites

To use Cloudflare, you need to own a domain (example.com).

If you do not already own a domain name and plan to use Cloudflare for your authoritative DNS, we highly recommend purchasing your domain name through Cloudflare Registrar.

Using Cloudflare Registrar simplifies your setup process by automatically using Cloudflare for authoritative DNS.

​​ Step 1 — Add site in Cloudflare

1. Log in to the Cloudflare dashboard Open external link .

2. In the top navigation bar, click Add site.

3. Enter your website’s root domain (example.com) and then click Add Site.

4. Select your plan level. For more details on features and pricing, refer to our Plans page Open external link .

5. Cloudflare will then automatically scan for your DNS records.

   1. Since this scan is not guaranteed to find all existing DNS records, you need to review your records, paying special attention to the following record types:

      • Root domain records (example.com)
      • Subdomain records (www.example.com or blog.example.com)
      • Email records

   2. If you find any missing records, manually add those records.

   3. Depending on your site setup, you may want to adjust the proxy status for certain A, AAAA, or CNAME records.

   4. Click Continue.

6. Click Done, check nameservers.

7. Go through the Quick Start Guide, which allows you to:

   • Improve security: Make sure that your site enforces HTTPS connections using Always Use HTTPS and Automatic HTTPS Rewrites. For more help, refer to ourdetailed guide.
   • Optimize performance: Speed up your site by enabling Auto Minify Open external link and Brotli compression Open external link .

8. When you have finished the Quick Start Guide, click Finish.

​​ Step 2 — Update nameservers

Before your domain can begin using Cloudflare for DNS resolution, you need to update your nameservers at your registrar.

Once you have added a domain (also known as a zone) to Cloudflare, that domain will receive two assigned authoritative nameservers.

​​ Get nameserver names

1. Log in to the Cloudflare dashboard Open external link and select your account and domain.

2. On Overview, copy the information from Replace with Cloudflare’s nameservers.

   

​​ Update your registrar

1. Log in to the admin account for your domain registrar. If you do not know your provider, use ICANN WHOIS Open external link .

2. Disable DNSSEC for your domain.

3. Remove your existing authoritative nameservers.

4. Create new authoritative nameservers. If their names are not copied exactly, your DNS will not resolve correctly.

5. Wait 24 hours while your registrar updates your nameservers. You will receive an email when your site is active on Cloudflare.

​​ Verify changes

To check whether you correctly changed your nameservers, you can log in to the Cloudflare dashboard Open external link and make sure your domain status is Active or use a third-party tool Open external link .

If you see unexpected results, refer to our troubleshooting information.

​​ Step 3 — Complete SSL/TLS setup

To prevent insecure connections and visitor browser errors, enable SSL/TLS protection.

​​ Step 4 - Go beyond the basics

For suggestions and guidance about getting the most out of your Cloudflare account, refer to our Solution guides.