What is Cloudflare?

Cloudflare is a web infrastructure and security company that sits between websites and their visitors, protecting against attacks while accelerating content delivery. The platform powers a significant portion of the internet, with millions of websites routing traffic through its global network of data centers.

This guide covers how Cloudflare works, the products and services it offers, and the practical benefits businesses gain from using the platform.

What is Cloudflare

Cloudflare is an American web infrastructure and security company that provides content delivery network services, DDoS protection, DNS services, and internet security. The company acts as a middleman between website visitors and web servers, filtering out malicious traffic while speeding up legitimate requests. Headquartered in San Francisco, Cloudflare protects and accelerates millions of websites, APIs, and applications worldwide.

You might see this company spelled different ways when searching online. Common misspellings include "cloud flare," "cloudfare," and "cloudflair." The official website is cloudflare.com, where anyone can sign up for free or paid plans depending on their requirements.

History of Cloudflare

Cloudflare was founded in 2009 by Matthew Prince, Lee Holloway, and Michelle Zatlyn. The company launched publicly at TechCrunch Disrupt in September 2010, introducing a freemium model that made enterprise-level security accessible to smaller websites and individual developers.

In September 2019, Cloudflare went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NET. Since then, the company has expanded well beyond basic CDN and security services into what it now calls a "connectivity cloud" platform.

How Cloudflare works

Cloudflare operates as a reverse proxy, which means all traffic to your website passes through Cloudflare's network before reaching your server. This positioning allows Cloudflare to inspect, filter, and optimize every single request that comes in.

Global cloud network infrastructure

Cloudflare maintains data centers in over 300 cities across more than 100 countries. This distributed setup, often called edge computing, places computing resources physically closer to end users. When someone in Tokyo visits a website hosted in New York, they connect to a nearby Cloudflare data center rather than waiting for data to travel across the Pacific Ocean.

Content delivery and caching

A content delivery network, or CDN, stores copies of static website content like images, CSS files, and JavaScript on servers around the world. When visitors access a site, they receive content from the nearest Cloudflare location rather than the original server. This approach dramatically cuts load times, especially for visitors far from where the website is hosted.

Reverse proxy technology

A reverse proxy sits in front of web servers and forwards requests on behalf of clients. Cloudflare's reverse proxy hides the original server's IP address from potential attackers while screening out malicious traffic. Think of it like a receptionist who checks credentials before letting anyone into the building.

Cloudflare products and services

Cloudflare offers a wide range of products addressing performance, security, and developer tools. Here's what the platform includes:

DDoS protection and mitigation

A distributed denial-of-service attack, commonly called DDoS, floods a website with so much traffic that real users can't get through. Cloudflare's network absorbs attacks of virtually any size by automatically detecting and filtering malicious requests while letting legitimate visitors pass. This protection comes included even on free accounts.

Web application firewall

A web application firewall, or WAF, filters HTTP traffic between a web application and the internet. Cloudflare's WAF blocks common attack patterns like SQL injection and cross-site scripting using predefined rules. Users can also create custom rules tailored to their specific applications.

SSL and TLS encryption

SSL and TLS are encryption protocols that protect data traveling between visitors and websites. Cloudflare provides free SSL certificates, enabling HTTPS for any website without additional cost. This encryption protects sensitive information and can improve search rankings since Google favors secure sites.

Edge computing with Cloudflare Workers

Cloudflare Workers is a serverless computing platform that lets developers run code at the edge, meaning on Cloudflare's global network rather than a single centralized server. Application logic executes closer to users, which reduces latency without requiring anyone to manage server infrastructure directly.

Cloudflare WARP VPN

WARP is a free VPN service built into Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 mobile app. Unlike traditional VPNs that often slow down connections, WARP uses Cloudflare's network to encrypt traffic while frequently improving speed. The service focuses on everyday privacy rather than bypassing geographic content restrictions.

Zero Trust security platform

Zero Trust is a security approach that requires verification for every person and device trying to access resources, regardless of location. Traditional security models assumed everything inside a corporate network was safe, but Zero Trust assumes nothing is safe by default. Cloudflare's Zero Trust platform helps organizations secure remote workers by replacing traditional VPNs with identity-based access controls.

Cloudflare DNS and the 1.1.1.1 resolver

DNS, or Domain Name System, translates human-readable domain names like "google.com" into the IP addresses that computers actually use. Cloudflare operates 1.1.1.1, a free public DNS resolver designed for speed and privacy.

Unlike some DNS providers that log and monetize user browsing data, Cloudflare commits to never selling this information and purges logs within 24 hours. The 1.1.1.1 app is available for both iOS and Android, making it simple to use Cloudflare's DNS on mobile devices.

How Cloudflare protects websites from DDoS attacks

Cloudflare's DDoS protection works through several coordinated mechanisms:

• Traffic analysis: Cloudflare continuously monitors traffic patterns to establish what normal behavior looks like for each website
• Anomaly detection: When traffic spikes abnormally or shows attack signatures, automated systems flag it immediately
• Traffic filtering: Malicious requests get blocked at the edge before ever reaching the original server
• Rate limiting: Suspicious IP addresses can be throttled or challenged with CAPTCHAs to verify they're human
• Always-on protection: Unlike some solutions requiring manual activation, Cloudflare's DDoS mitigation runs continuously in the background

Business benefits of using Cloudflare

Organizations of all sizes turn to Cloudflare for practical operational advantages. Here's what businesses typically gain from the platform:

Faster website performance

Caching and CDN capabilities reduce page load times significantly. Faster sites improve user experience and can reduce bounce rates. For businesses with international audiences, performance improvements become even more noticeable since content loads from nearby servers.

Stronger security posture

Cloudflare provides layered security in a single platform, combining DDoS protection, WAF, SSL, and bot management. This defense-in-depth approach means multiple security controls work together rather than relying on any single solution to catch everything.

Reduced bandwidth and infrastructure costs

When Cloudflare caches and serves content, the original server handles fewer requests. This reduces bandwidth consumption and can lower hosting costs, particularly for sites with heavy traffic or large media files like videos and high-resolution images.

Global scalability and reliability

Cloudflare's distributed network handles traffic spikes automatically. Whether a site experiences viral growth or a seasonal surge, the infrastructure scales without requiring additional servers to be provisioned manually.

Simplified web infrastructure management

A single dashboard provides visibility into DNS, security, performance, and analytics all in one place. This consolidation reduces complexity compared to managing separate tools from different vendors for each function.

Companies that use Cloudflare

Cloudflare serves millions of customers across virtually every industry:

• E-commerce platforms protecting customer transactions
• Media companies delivering content to global audiences
• Financial services firms with strict security compliance requirements
• SaaS providers ensuring application availability
• Government agencies protecting citizen-facing services

The platform's flexibility makes it suitable for everything from personal blogs to large enterprises with complex requirements.

Cloudflare outages and reliability

While Cloudflare maintains high availability, outages do happen occasionally. Notable incidents in July 2019 and June 2022 affected millions of websites simultaneously. However, widespread outages remain relatively rare given the enormous volume of traffic Cloudflare handles daily.

Real-time and historical system status is available at cloudflarestatus.com. After incidents, Cloudflare publishes detailed post-mortem reports explaining root causes and preventive measures, a transparency practice that has helped build trust with customers over time.

Why businesses trust Cloudflare for web security

Cloudflare has become essential infrastructure for much of the internet by delivering enterprise-grade security and performance at accessible price points. The combination of a massive global network, continuous product development, and a freemium model has made sophisticated web protection available to organizations regardless of size or budget.

For organizations focused on building high-performing teams and optimizing their workforce, platforms like Engagedly complement technical infrastructure by addressing the human side of business success. Book a demo to see how talent management technology can support your organizational goals.

FAQs about Cloudflare

Why is my IP address flagged by Cloudflare?

Cloudflare may flag an IP address if it detects suspicious behavior patterns or if the IP is shared with users who have engaged in malicious activity. This commonly happens with VPNs, public WiFi networks, or shared hosting environments. Contacting the website owner directly or switching to a different network often resolves the issue.

Is Cloudflare free to use for websites?

Yes, Cloudflare offers a free tier that includes basic CDN functionality, DDoS protection, and SSL certificates. Paid plans starting at $20 per month unlock advanced features like additional WAF rules, image optimization, and priority support.

Does using Cloudflare slow down website loading?

Cloudflare typically speeds up websites through caching and its global CDN. Brief delays may occasionally occur when security checks challenge suspicious visitors, but these pauses are minimal and serve to protect against attacks.

How can I check if a website uses Cloudflare?

HTTP response headers often contain Cloudflare-specific entries like "cf-ray" that indicate usage. Online lookup tools can also identify a site's infrastructure, and DNS records pointing to Cloudflare IP ranges provide another indicator.

What is the difference between Cloudflare and a traditional CDN provider?

Traditional CDN providers focus primarily on content delivery and caching to improve performance. Cloudflare combines CDN functionality with integrated security features like DDoS protection, WAF, and bot management, offering a more comprehensive solution within a single platform.