Cloudflare: coordinating cache, protection and origin
By the AXELITES team
Cloudflare can operate between visitors and a website's server to distribute content and apply protection rules. Its value depends on the chosen configuration. This resource recommends connecting settings with site journeys, personalised content and how the team operates the origin server.
Define what can be cached
A public resource and a page containing account information must not be treated in the same way. Cache rules must therefore reflect the application's operation and expected updates. Identify reusable content and content requiring a user-specific response. This preparation supports better distribution without risking the display of outdated information or information belonging to another browsing session.
Test protection rules
Filtering rules can help limit certain unwanted traffic, but they must be checked against legitimate usage. Forms, administration interfaces and automated exchanges can be affected by an overly broad setting. Configuration must be observed and adjusted according to events. Cloudflare's presence does not remove the need to fix the application or protect its access, as security responsibilities remain distributed across several service components.
Keep control of the origin server
The origin must remain monitored and maintained, even if some content is delivered upstream. Certificates, access and logs must make it possible to understand a request's path. A change plan helps reverse a problematic setting. Results depend on this coordination between Cloudflare and hosting, with tests on real journeys rather than a general availability or speed promise attached to the service name alone.
Frequently asked questions
- Can every page be cached?
- Distinguish public content from personalised or transactional responses. Rules must respect sessions and the data update frequency. Testing accounts, carts and forms verifies that no inappropriate information is reused between visitors.
- Does Cloudflare replace website maintenance?
- No. The application, its dependencies and the origin server still need maintenance. Protection rules complement this work without automatically fixing code defects. Monitoring must cover both levels and make it possible to understand where an incident occurs when a journey fails.
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