Quick overview (what we’ll do)

  1. Create Cloudflare account (or log in).

  2. Add your domain to Cloudflare (scan DNS).

  3. Verify/adjust DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT).

  4. Choose which records to proxy (orange cloud) vs DNS only (gray cloud).

  5. Change nameservers at your domain registrar to Cloudflare’s nameservers.

  6. Wait for propagation and verify.

1) Create account & add site

  1. Go to cloudflare.com → Sign up or Log in.

  2. In the dashboard click Onboard domain.

  3. Enter your domain (example: liquidityglobally.com) — no www.

  4. Select a plan (Free plan works for most sites; pick paid only if you need advanced features).

  5. Cloudflare will scan and import your current DNS records — wait for it to finish.

2) Review & correct imported DNS records

Important: Cloudflare imports whatever DNS exists, but you must confirm every record:

  • Ensure A record for @ (root) points to your server IP (origin).

  • Ensure A or CNAME for www points correctly.

  • MX records: must remain DNS-only (gray cloud). Mail will break if MX is proxied.

  • SPF / DKIM / DMARC: keep those TXT records intact.

  • Any custom subdomains, APIs, webmail, cPanel (e.g., webmail.yourdomain) — check them.

How to set proxying:

  • Orange cloud (proxied) = Cloudflare will proxy & hide your origin IP and provide CDN/WAF.

  • Gray cloud (DNS only) = Cloudflare only provides DNS (use for mail, API endpoints that need direct origin IP).

Rule of thumb: proxy web traffic (A/CNAME for domain and www); keep email (MX), FTP, cPanel, SSH, and any service that requires direct origin access as DNS-only.

3) Update nameservers at the registrar

Cloudflare will provide two nameservers (e.g. aria.ns.cloudflare.com / ns2.cloudflare.com) — copy them.

  1. Login to your domain registrar (where you registered the domain).

  2. Find Nameserver / DNS settings for the domain.

  3. Replace current nameservers (e.g., dns1.realhostnow.com) with the two Cloudflare nameservers Cloudflare gave you.

  4. Save.

  5. Confirm in Cloudflare dashboard that you updated nameservers (Cloudflare will keep checking automatically).

Important: Changing nameservers at registrar is necessary — editing DNS inside cPanel alone will not switch DNS to Cloudflare.

4) Wait for propagation & verify

  • Cloudflare dashboard will show when the domain’s nameservers are active.

  • Typical: a few minutes to a couple hours. Rarely up to 24–48 hours.

Verify from your machine:

intodns.com

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