Using Cloudflare for DNS Management with Shared or Reseller Hosting
Resellers, agencies, and website owners frequently prefer using Cloudflare for DNS management, performance proxying, and DDoS protection while keeping their website files and email accounts hosted on our servers.
This hybrid setup is fully supported. When properly configured, Cloudflare acts as your domain’s authoritative DNS manager, directing web traffic to your hosting account without disrupting website functionality or existing email services.
Prerequisites & Server Information
Before configuring DNS records in Cloudflare, retrieve your server details from your hosting control panel (cPanel/Plesk) or welcome email:
- Server IP Address: The dedicated or shared server IPv4 address (e.g.,
194.110.243.201) where your site is hosted. - Mail Server Address: The hostname used for email routing (e.g.,
mail.yourdomain.co.uk). - Existing DNS Records: Ensure you have a list of any custom TXT/SPF or DKIM records required for email delivery.
Step-by-Step Configuration Guide
Step 1: Update Nameservers at Your Domain Registrar
To delegate DNS management to Cloudflare, point your domain’s nameservers at your domain registrar (where you registered the domain) to Cloudflare’s assigned nameservers (e.g., ada.ns.cloudflare.com and sam.ns.cloudflare.com).
Important: Do not set your domain registrar nameservers to our hosting nameservers if you want Cloudflare to manage your DNS records.
Step 2: Configure Core DNS Records in Cloudflare
Log into your Cloudflare account, select your domain, and navigate to the DNS > Records section. Add or update the following essential records pointing to your hosting account:
| Type | Name | Content / Target | Proxy Status | Purpose |
| A | @ (or domain) | YOUR_SERVER_IP | Proxied (Orange) or DNS Only (Grey) | Points primary domain to web host. |
| CNAME | www | yourdomain.co.uk | Match @ record setting | Directs www requests to your root domain. |
| A | mail | YOUR_SERVER_IP | DNS Only (Grey Icon) | Must be unproxied for email clients to connect. |
| MX | @ | mail.yourdomain.co.uk | N/A (Priority: 10) | Routes incoming email to the hosting server. |
| TXT | @ | v=spf1 mx a ptr ip4:YOUR_SERVER_IP ~all | N/A | Ensures mail authentication (SPF) passes. |
Best Practices to Avoid Downtime & Service Disruption
- Copy All Existing DNS Records First: When adding a domain to Cloudflare, allow Cloudflare’s auto-scan to import all existing records. Double-check that MX, TXT (SPF/DKIM), and CNAME records match your hosting DNS zone prior to changing nameservers.
- Keep Mail Records Unproxied (Grey Cloud): Cloudflare’s proxying service only routes HTTP/HTTPS web traffic. Leaving
mailor FTP subdomains set to Proxied (Orange Cloud) will cause email connections (IMAP/POP3/SMTP) and FTP connections to fail. - Configure SSL/TLS Mode: In Cloudflare, navigate to SSL/TLS and set the encryption mode to Full or Full (strict) to avoid redirect loops between Cloudflare and your hosting server’s SSL certificate.
Verification Steps
Once DNS changes are saved, propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 24 hours globally:
- Web Traffic: Visit
[https://yourdomain.co.uk](https://yourdomain.co.uk)in an Incognito browser window to confirm your website loads from our server. - DNS Resolution Check: Use a tool like
whatsmydns.netto verify your A record points to your server IP or Cloudflare proxy IPs. - Email Functionality: Send a test email to and from an account on your domain to ensure incoming (MX) and outgoing (SMTP) flows work smoothly.
When to Contact Support
No special account permissions or server-side changes are required on your hosting account for this setup to function. However, if you experience any of the following, please open a ticket with our support team:
- Too Many Redirects Error (ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS): Indicates an SSL configuration mismatch between Cloudflare and the hosting server.
- Mail Delivery Failures: If incoming emails bounce after updating DNS records.
- IP Verification: If you need confirmation of your hosting account’s exact server IP address or mail server hostnames.