Cloudflare is a highly-regarded Content Delivery Network (CDN) and a Distribution Denial of Service (DDoS) protection solution. The robust global cloud platform that is Cloudflare ensures users are able to connect to the internet quickly, securely, and reliably. Cloudflare is one of the world's largest networks in the marketplace today. Using Cloudflare, businesses, educational entities, NGOs, vloggers, bloggers, and anyone else with an internet presence can use the solution and experience more secure, faster websites and applications.
Cloudflare's most valuable features, according to various user experiences, include the ability to hide servers through its proxy feature, providing security against attacks such as port scanning and ransomware. Other essential features include a web application firewall and load balancer, which provide good security and stability to access points. The application gateway and DDoS protection are also favorable features, along with the solution's flexibility to control configuration rules. Additionally, Cloudflare offers many features such as controlling profits, blocking attacks, and using a Global Location CDN, all manageable through a single console with an embedded GUI interface. Cloudflare's built-in SSL certificate feature is automatic and protects websites, while its solution also provides the ability to trace and manage applications, monitor traffic, and detect spikes in traffic.
Improvements on Cloudflare that were suggested include offering better accessibility for international customers, providing more detailed dashboards and reports on web application firewalls, offering dedicated account managers for large enterprise clients, improving automation, reducing downtime, offering on-premise solutions, making it easier to collect logs, increasing the number of servers for better traffic routing, improving partner relationships, expanding the learning portal for partners, and improving reporting capabilities.
Cloudflare has provided a positive ROI for users, preventing downtime and the potential loss of millions. It is recommended for companies with online sales and newsletters, as it prevents server overload from high traffic. For simple websites, a basic Cloudflare setup provides protection against hacking. It is a cost-effective solution compared to setting up auto-scaling on AWS, which can be expensive and time-consuming.
Cloudflare offers a range of pricing options. While some features are available for free, others require payment. One reviewer suggests a custom pricing model for enterprise customers based on the features used. Licensing costs vary and some reviewers note that Cloudflare is expensive compared to other products, but offers unlimited bandwidth. Despite the cost, reviewers generally rate Cloudflare's overall value positively.
Cloudflare is primarily used for website and server security, including hiding IP addresses and using the DNS manager. It is also used for web application firewalls (WAF) and load balancer rules, as well as DNS load balancing and content delivery network (CDN) for applications. Some users also use Cloudflare for legacy websites that need protection or to secure critical websites. It is used as a managed service for end-user customers, including residential ISP customers with high traffic. Cloudflare is also used for website load balancing or DDoS protection, with customers using the Business Plan or Enterprise Plan depending on their traffic volume. The web application firewall and Zero Trust features are also used by customers.
Cloudflare's customer service and support receive mixed reviews. While some users praise their knowledgeable and responsive technical support team, others criticize the level of support provided, particularly for those on lower-tier plans. Some users have also expressed a desire for a dedicated account manager and faster response times. Cloudflare's support is rated between six and ten out of ten, depending on the level of support and plan.
Users found the initial setup for Cloudflare to be generally simple and straightforward, with some noting that it may require some advanced configuration in certain cases. Some users found the setup stressful due to the need for correct configuration, while another noted that they preferred to handle the setup themselves to ensure proper DNS management. Overall, users found the solution easy to set up and maintain, with only an occasional need for adjustments or maintenance.
Cloudflare's solution is highly scalable, with users rating its scalability as a ten out of ten or an eight out of ten. The solution is easy to scale up, with a clear process and the Cloudflare team contacting users to check if they want to scale up. It is also customizable to each customer's needs, making it easy to incorporate scaling. Cloudflare's solution is a powerful content delivery network, security, and web application firewall rolled into one, with thousands of servers across the world that cache data. It is worth the cost, as it provides unmatched throughput and performance value.
The majority of reviews suggest that Cloudflare is a stable solution, with some rating it as a perfect ten out of ten for stability. While there have been some isolated instances of downtime or issues with updates, these do not seem to be significant enough to impact the overall stability of the solution. Some reviewers note that Cloudflare's global performance could be improved, but overall it is considered a reliable and widely used option.
Currently, there are millions of internet locations on Cloudflare, and the Cloudflare network continues to grow every day by the thousands. The solution is able to fulfill the requests for millions of websites seamlessly and serves on average 45 million HTTP requests per second.
Cloudflare has safe, secure data centers in close to 300 cities worldwide to ensure every client request is filled as quickly as possible. It is Cloudflare’s edge network that makes this possible by keeping content and other services as close to each client as possible, so the information requests are always only seconds away.
Many organizations that work in democracy, civil society, human rights, or the arts are able to access Cloudflare highest levels of protection for free via Project Galileo. Additionally, official election websites can be secured from hacking and fraud through Cloudflare’s Project Athenian, also at no additional cost.
Cloudflare can also help organizations of all sizes develop a robust zero-trust strategy to ensure the highest levels of productivity and profitability. Employees, stakeholders, and end-users have a greater level of satisfaction and overall improved user experience, which can, in turn, result in higher revenues and overall ROI. Zero-trust and BYOD ( bring your own device) access ensure end-users and employees always have the best resources and technology available to them at all times.
Cloudflare Benefits
Cloudflare has many benefits. Some of its most valuable benefits include:
Reviews from Real Users
“Many websites require an SSL certificate because they sell stuff and want SSL. Cloudflare comes with an SSL certificate built in. It's automatic. You sign yourself up for Cloudflare, and an SSL certificate automatically protects your website. If you have a connection between your website and your host, the server, Cloudflare, and the host, you don't necessarily need a certificate.” Spencer M., Owner at Tech Exchange
“What I like best about Cloudflare is that my company can use it to trace and manage applications and monitor traffic. The solution tells you if there's a spike in traffic. Cloudflare also sends you a link to check your equipment and deployment and track it through peering, so it's a valuable tool.” Daniel P., Network engineer at Ufinet
“The most valuable feature of Cloudflare is the GUI. You are able to control the solution very well through the interface. There is a lot of functionality that is embedded in the service.” A PeerSpot user who is a Competence Center Manager at a tech services company.
Cloudflare was previously known as Cloudflare DNS.
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