Add exceptions with Page Rules

In the Configure HTTPS settings tutorial, you configured zone settings that apply to all of example.com. In this tutorial, you will add an exception to these settings using Page Rules Open external link .

Specifically, you will increase the security level for a URL known to be expensive to render and cannot be cached: https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call. Additionally, you will add a redirect from the previous URL used to host this page.

​​ 1. Create a new branch and append the page rule

Create a new branch and append the configuration.

$ git checkout -b step6-pagerule
Switched to a new branch 'step6-pagerule'

$ cat >> cloudflare.tf <<'EOF'
resource "cloudflare_page_rule" "increase-security-on-expensive-page" {
  zone_id  = var.zone_id
  target   = "www.${var.domain}/expensive-db-call"
  priority = 1

  actions {
    security_level = "under_attack",
  }
}

resource "cloudflare_page_rule" "redirect-to-new-db-page" {
  zone_id  = var.zone_id
  target   = "www.${var.domain}/old-location.php"
  priority = 2

  actions {
    forwarding_url {
      url = "https://www.${var.domain}/expensive-db-call"
      status_code = 301
    }
  }
}
EOF

​​ 2. Preview and merge the changes

Preview the changes Terraform will make and then merge them into the master branch.

$ terraform plan
Refreshing Terraform state in-memory prior to plan...
The refreshed state will be used to calculate this plan, but will not be
persisted to local or remote state storage.

cloudflare_record.www-asia: Refreshing state... (ID: fda39d8c9bf909132e82a36bab992864)
cloudflare_record.www: Refreshing state... (ID: c38d3103767284e7cd14d5dad3ab8669)
cloudflare_zone_settings_override.example-com-settings: Refreshing state... (ID: e2e6491340be87a3726f91fc4148b126)
cloudflare_load_balancer_monitor.get-root-https: Refreshing state... (ID: 4238142473fcd48e89ef1964be72e3e0)
cloudflare_load_balancer_pool.www-servers: Refreshing state... (ID: 906d2a7521634783f4a96c062eeecc6d)
cloudflare_load_balancer.www-lb: Refreshing state... (ID: cb94f53f150e5c1a65a07e43c5d4cac4)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

An execution plan has been generated and is shown below.
Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:
  + create

Terraform will perform the following actions:

  + cloudflare_page_rule.increase-security-on-expensive-page
      id:                                     <computed>
      actions.#:                              "1"
      actions.0.always_use_https:             "false"
      actions.0.disable_apps:                 "false"
      actions.0.disable_performance:          "false"
      actions.0.disable_security:             "false"
      actions.0.security_level:               "under_attack"
      priority:                               "1"
      status:                                 "active"
      target:                                 "www.example.com/expensive-db-call"
      zone:                                   "example.com"
      zone_id:                                <computed>

  + cloudflare_page_rule.redirect-to-new-db-page
      id:                                     <computed>
      actions.#:                              "1"
      actions.0.always_use_https:             "false"
      actions.0.disable_apps:                 "false"
      actions.0.disable_performance:          "false"
      actions.0.disable_security:             "false"
      actions.0.forwarding_url.#:             "1"
      actions.0.forwarding_url.0.status_code: "301"
      actions.0.forwarding_url.0.url:         "https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call"
      priority:                               "2"
      status:                                 "active"
      target:                                 "www.example.com/old-location.php"
      zone:                                   "example.com"
      zone_id:                                <computed>


Plan: 2 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: You didn't specify an "-out" parameter to save this plan, so Terraform
can't guarantee that exactly these actions will be performed if
"terraform apply" is subsequently run.


$ git add cloudflare.tf

$ git commit -m "Step 6 - Add two Page Rules."
[step6-pagerule d4fec16] Step 6 - Add two Page Rules.
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+)

$ git checkout master
Switched to branch 'master'

$ git merge step6-pagerule
Updating 7a2ac34..d4fec16
Fast-forward
 cloudflare.tf | 23 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+)

​​ 3. Apply and verify the changes

First, test request the (now missing) old location of the expensive-to-render page.

$ curl -vso /dev/null https://www.example.com/old-location.php 2>&1 | grep "< HTTP\|Location"
< HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found

As expected, the location cannot be found. Apply the Page Rules, including the redirect that should fix this error.

$ terraform apply --auto-approve
cloudflare_record.www-asia: Refreshing state... (ID: fda39d8c9bf909132e82a36bab992864)
cloudflare_load_balancer_monitor.get-root-https: Refreshing state... (ID: 4238142473fcd48e89ef1964be72e3e0)
cloudflare_zone_settings_override.example-com-settings: Refreshing state... (ID: e2e6491340be87a3726f91fc4148b126)
cloudflare_record.www: Refreshing state... (ID: c38d3103767284e7cd14d5dad3ab8669)
cloudflare_load_balancer_pool.www-servers: Refreshing state... (ID: 906d2a7521634783f4a96c062eeecc6d)
cloudflare_load_balancer.www-lb: Refreshing state... (ID: cb94f53f150e5c1a65a07e43c5d4cac4)
cloudflare_page_rule.redirect-to-new-db-page: Creating...
  actions.#:                              "0" => "1"
  actions.0.always_use_https:             "" => "false"
  actions.0.disable_apps:                 "" => "false"
  actions.0.disable_performance:          "" => "false"
  actions.0.disable_security:             "" => "false"
  actions.0.forwarding_url.#:             "0" => "1"
  actions.0.forwarding_url.0.status_code: "" => "301"
  actions.0.forwarding_url.0.url:         "" => "https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call"
  priority:                               "" => "2"
  status:                                 "" => "active"
  target:                                 "" => "www.example.com/old-location.php"
  zone:                                   "" => "example.com"
  zone_id:                                "" => "<computed>"
cloudflare_page_rule.increase-security-on-expensive-page: Creating...
  actions.#:                     "0" => "1"
  actions.0.always_use_https:    "" => "false"
  actions.0.disable_apps:        "" => "false"
  actions.0.disable_performance: "" => "false"
  actions.0.disable_security:    "" => "false"
  actions.0.security_level:      "" => "under_attack"
  priority:                      "" => "1"
  status:                        "" => "active"
  target:                        "" => "www.example.com/expensive-db-call"
  zone:                          "" => "example.com"
  zone_id:                       "" => "<computed>"
cloudflare_page_rule.redirect-to-new-db-page: Creation complete after 3s (ID: c5c40ff2dc12416b5fe4d0541980c591)
cloudflare_page_rule.increase-security-on-expensive-page: Creation complete after 6s (ID: 1c13fdb84710c4cc8b11daf7ffcca449)

Apply complete! Resources: 2 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.

With the Page Rules in place, try that call again, along with a test for the “I Am Under Attack” mode:

$ curl -vso /dev/null https://www.example.com/old-location.php 2>&1 | grep "< HTTP\|Location"
< HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
< Location: https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call

$ curl -vso /dev/null https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call 2>&1 | grep "< HTTP"
< HTTP/1.1 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable

The call works as expected. In the first case, the Cloudflare edge responds with a 301 redirecting the browser to the new location. In the second case, the Cloudflare edge initially responds with a 503, which is consistent with the “I Am Under Attack” mode.