Cloudflare Configuration

Table of Contents

Documentation - This article is part of a series.

Part 5: This Article

☁️ Cloudflare Configuration for SSP Server
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Configure Cloudflare as your DNS provider and CDN for enhanced performance, security, and SSL management. This guide covers DNS setup, SSL configuration, and security optimizations for your SSP Server deployment.

🌐 DNS Configuration
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Required DNS Records
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Set up the following DNS records in your Cloudflare dashboard for optimal SSP Server configuration:

Type	Name	Content	Proxy Status	TTL	Purpose
`A`	`api`	`xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx`	✅ Proxied	Auto	API endpoint
`A`	`control`	`xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx`	✅ Proxied	Auto	Control panel
`A`	`ssp`	`xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx`	✅ Proxied	Auto	SSP endpoint

Production DNS Setup
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For your production SSP Server deployment, configure these records:

# Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with your actual server IP address

A     api        YOUR_SERVER_IP    Proxied    Auto    # API endpoint
A     control    YOUR_SERVER_IP    Proxied    Auto    # Control panel
A     ssp        YOUR_SERVER_IP    Proxied    Auto    # SSP ad server
A     tracker    YOUR_SERVER_IP    Proxied    Auto    # Analytics tracker
CNAME www        yourdomain.com    Proxied    Auto    # WWW redirect

DNS Management Commands
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Using Cloudflare CLI (optional):

# Install Cloudflare CLI
npm install -g @cloudflare/cli

# Login to Cloudflare
cf login

# Add DNS records
cf dns create --type A --name api --content YOUR_SERVER_IP --proxied
cf dns create --type A --name control --content YOUR_SERVER_IP --proxied
cf dns create --type A --name ssp --content YOUR_SERVER_IP --proxied
cf dns create --type A --name tracker --content YOUR_SERVER_IP --proxied

🔒 SSL/TLS Configuration
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SSL/TLS Settings
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Configure SSL for secure connections:

SSL/TLS Mode: Set to Full (strict) for end-to-end encryption
Edge Certificates: Enable Always Use HTTPS
Minimum TLS Version: Set to TLS 1.2 or higher
TLS 1.3: Enable for improved performance and security

SSL Certificate Types
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Universal SSL (Free)
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Cloudflare automatically provisions SSL certificates for:

yourdomain.com
*.yourdomain.com (wildcard)
www.yourdomain.com

Advanced Certificate Manager (Paid)
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For custom hostnames and extended validation:

Custom certificate authorities
Extended validation (EV) certificates
Custom certificate validity periods

Origin Certificate Setup
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Generate origin certificates for your server:

Go to SSL/TLS > Origin Server
Create Certificate with these hostnames:
- api.yourdomain.com
- control.yourdomain.com
- ssp.yourdomain.com
- tracker.yourdomain.com
Install on your server:

# Save certificate and private key
sudo mkdir -p /etc/ssl/cloudflare
sudo nano /etc/ssl/cloudflare/cert.pem    # Paste certificate
sudo nano /etc/ssl/cloudflare/key.pem     # Paste private key

# Set proper permissions
sudo chmod 600 /etc/ssl/cloudflare/key.pem
sudo chmod 644 /etc/ssl/cloudflare/cert.pem

🛡️ Security Configuration
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Firewall Rules
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Set up Cloudflare firewall rules for SSP Server protection:

Rule 1: Block Known Bad Bots
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Field: User Agent
Operator: contains
Value: bot|crawler|spider
Action: Block

Rule 2: Rate Limiting for API
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Field: URI Path
Operator: contains
Value: /api/
Rate: 100 requests per minute
Action: Challenge

Rule 3: Geographic Restrictions (Optional)
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Field: Country
Operator: not in
Value: US, CA, EU countries
Action: Block

Security Headers
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Enable security headers in Security > Settings:

✅ Security Headers: Enable
✅ HSTS: Enable with subdomains
✅ HSTS Preload: Enable
✅ No-Sniff Header: Enable
✅ X-Frame-Options: DENY

Bot Management
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Configure bot protection:

Super Bot Fight Mode: Enable (free)
Bot Score Threshold: Set to 30 or lower
Static Resource Protection: Enable
Verified Bot Categories: Allow search engines, monitoring

⚡ Performance Optimization
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Caching Rules
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Configure caching for SSP Server components:

Static Assets Caching
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Rule Name: Static Assets
If: URI Path matches regex .*\.(css|js|png|jpg|jpeg|gif|ico|svg|woff|woff2|ttf)$
Then: Cache Level = Everything, Edge TTL = 1 month

API Response Caching
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Rule Name: API Responses
If: URI Path starts with /api/
Then: Cache Level = Bypass, Browser TTL = 0

HTML Page Caching
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Rule Name: HTML Pages
If: URI Path ends with / OR URI Path ends with .html
Then: Cache Level = Standard, Edge TTL = 4 hours

Page Rules
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Set up page rules for optimal performance:

API Endpoints (api.yourdomain.com/*):
- Cache Level: Bypass
- Security Level: High
- SSL: Full (strict)
Control Panel (control.yourdomain.com/*):
- Cache Level: Standard
- Security Level: Medium
- Browser Integrity Check: On
SSP Endpoint (ssp.yourdomain.com/*):
- Cache Level: Bypass
- Security Level: Medium
- Performance optimizations: On

Speed Optimizations
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Enable performance features:

✅ Auto Minify: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
✅ Brotli Compression: Enable
✅ Early Hints: Enable
✅ Rocket Loader: Enable (test carefully with your ads)
✅ Mirage: Enable for image optimization
✅ Polish: Lossless image compression

📊 Analytics and Monitoring
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Analytics Configuration
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Enable Cloudflare Analytics:

Web Analytics: Enable for traffic insights
Security Analytics: Monitor threats and attacks
Performance Analytics: Track Core Web Vitals
Bot Analytics: Monitor bot traffic patterns

Log Management
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Configure log retention and analysis:

# Using Logpush (Enterprise feature)
# Push logs to external storage for analysis
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/{zone_id}/logpush/jobs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {api_token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "enabled": true,
    "name": "sspserver-logs",
    "destination_conf": "s3://mybucket/logs?region=us-east-1"
  }'

Health Checks
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Set up health monitoring:

Create Health Check:
- URL: https://api.yourdomain.com/health
- Method: GET
- Interval: 60 seconds
- Timeout: 10 seconds
Notification Settings:
- Email alerts for downtime
- Webhook notifications to Slack/Discord
- SMS alerts for critical issues

🔧 Advanced Configuration
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Load Balancing
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For multiple server setup:

# Create origin pool
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/user/load_balancers/pools" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {api_token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "name": "sspserver-pool",
    "origins": [
      {
        "name": "server-1",
        "address": "161.35.29.27",
        "enabled": true,
        "weight": 1
      },
      {
        "name": "server-2", 
        "address": "161.35.29.28",
        "enabled": true,
        "weight": 1
      }
    ]
  }'

Workers Configuration
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Deploy Cloudflare Workers for custom logic:

// Example: Request routing and modification
addEventListener('fetch', event => {
  event.respondWith(handleRequest(event.request))
})

async function handleRequest(request) {
  const url = new URL(request.url)
  
  // Route API requests to specific backend
  if (url.pathname.startsWith('/api/')) {
    return fetch(request)
  }
  
  // Add custom headers for SSP requests
  if (url.pathname.startsWith('/ssp/')) {
    const response = await fetch(request)
    const newResponse = new Response(response.body, response)
    newResponse.headers.set('X-SSP-Server', 'cloudflare-worker')
    return newResponse
  }
  
  return fetch(request)
}

Argo Smart Routing
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Enable Argo for intelligent routing:

Enable Argo Smart Routing: Improves performance by up to 30%
Argo Tiered Caching: Reduces origin server load
Monitor Performance: Check analytics for improvements

🔍 Troubleshooting
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Common Issues
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DNS Propagation
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# Check DNS propagation
dig @8.8.8.8 api.yourdomain.com
dig @1.1.1.1 api.yourdomain.com

# Check from multiple locations
nslookup api.yourdomain.com 8.8.8.8
nslookup api.yourdomain.com 1.1.1.1

SSL Certificate Issues
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# Test SSL certificate
openssl s_client -connect api.yourdomain.com:443 -servername api.yourdomain.com

# Check certificate chain
curl -vI https://api.yourdomain.com

Origin Server Connectivity
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# Test origin server directly
curl -H "Host: api.yourdomain.com" http://YOUR_SERVER_IP/health

# Check Cloudflare connectivity
curl -H "CF-Connecting-IP: 1.2.3.4" https://api.yourdomain.com/health

Debug Tools
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Use Cloudflare debugging tools:

Trace Route: Check request path
Security Events: Monitor blocked requests
Analytics: Review traffic patterns
Edge Logs: Examine request/response details

Support Resources
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Cloudflare Community: community.cloudflare.com
Cloudflare Docs: developers.cloudflare.com
Status Page: cloudflarestatus.com
Support Tickets: Available with paid plans

📋 Configuration Checklist
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Initial Setup
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Domain added to Cloudflare
Nameservers updated at registrar
DNS records configured
SSL/TLS mode set to Full (strict)
Always Use HTTPS enabled

Security Configuration
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Firewall rules configured
Security headers enabled
Bot management configured
Origin certificates installed
Rate limiting rules set

Performance Optimization
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Caching rules configured
Page rules optimized
Auto minify enabled
Compression enabled
Image optimization enabled

Monitoring Setup
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Analytics enabled
Health checks configured
Alert notifications set
Log management configured
Performance monitoring active

💡 Best Practices
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Start with Conservative Settings: Begin with basic configuration and gradually optimize
Test Changes Gradually: Use staged rollouts for major configuration changes
Monitor Performance: Regular check Core Web Vitals and user experience metrics
Security First: Prioritize security settings before performance optimizations
Regular Updates: Keep configurations updated as Cloudflare adds new features
Documentation: Document all custom rules and configurations for team reference

📞 Support
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SSP Server Issues: GitHub Issues
Cloudflare Configuration: Cloudflare Support
Community Help: SSP Server Community
Professional Services: Contact for enterprise Cloudflare setup assistance

Documentation - This article is part of a series.

Part 1: Quick start

Part 2: Installation

Part 3: Deployment

Part 4: DigitalOcean Deployment

Part 5: This Article

Deployment

2 mins

Deployment Service-Management Troubleshooting

DigitalOcean Deployment

5 mins

Digitalocean Droplet Cloud Deployment

Installation

2 mins

Installation Docs Deployment

Quick start

1 min

Quickstart Docs Installation

☁️ Cloudflare Configuration for SSP Server#

🌐 DNS Configuration#

Required DNS Records#

Production DNS Setup#

DNS Management Commands#

🔒 SSL/TLS Configuration#

SSL/TLS Settings#

SSL Certificate Types#

Universal SSL (Free)#

Advanced Certificate Manager (Paid)#

Origin Certificate Setup#

🛡️ Security Configuration#

Firewall Rules#

Rule 1: Block Known Bad Bots#

Rule 2: Rate Limiting for API#

Rule 3: Geographic Restrictions (Optional)#

Security Headers#

Bot Management#

⚡ Performance Optimization#

Caching Rules#

Static Assets Caching#

API Response Caching#

HTML Page Caching#

Page Rules#

Speed Optimizations#

📊 Analytics and Monitoring#

Analytics Configuration#

Log Management#

Health Checks#

🔧 Advanced Configuration#

Load Balancing#

Workers Configuration#

Argo Smart Routing#

🔍 Troubleshooting#

Common Issues#

DNS Propagation#

SSL Certificate Issues#

Origin Server Connectivity#

Debug Tools#

Support Resources#

📋 Configuration Checklist#

Initial Setup#

Security Configuration#

Performance Optimization#

Monitoring Setup#

💡 Best Practices#

📞 Support#

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