Adding vendor-specific DNS records to Cloudflare

​​ Adding DNS records for vendors

This article requires prior knowledge of DNS record management via the Cloudflare dashboard.  To learn more, refer to Cloudflare’s article on managing DNS records.

​​ Google

Add the following MX records:

Once added, the DNS records appear similar to the following in Cloudflare’s DNS app:

Test the Google Apps email configuration Open external link .

Add a CNAME record for Google App Engine to Cloudflare DNS.

For example, if the domain is  www.example.com Open external link , the CNAME record is similar to:

www  CNAME  ghs.googlehosted.com

To configure a redirect for a Google Apps domain, refer to  Google’s guide on URL forwarding Open external link .

​​ Amazon

​​ Amazon Route53

AWS customers must update their domain’s nameservers to point to the Cloudflare nameservers listed in the Overview app of the Cloudflare dashboard:

1. Log into AWS.
2. Click My Account in the top-right of the navigation bar.
3. Select AWS Management Console from the dropdown.
4. Click Services and select Route 53.
5. Update nameservers in two places:

• Click Hosted zones and select the domain to update with Cloudflare’s nameservers.

• Edit the nameservers to point to Cloudflare’s nameservers.

• Click Registered domains.

• Select the domain to update with Cloudflare’s nameservers.

• Click Add or edit name servers.

​​ Amazon S3 bucket

Consult Amazon’s documentation on how to  c Open external link reate an Amazon S3 bucket Open external link .

Note the full host URL assigned to the bucket.

Add a CNAME record for the AWS bucket in Cloudflare DNS. For example, if the full host URL of the bucket is files.example.com, add a CNAME record similar to the following:

files  CNAME  files.example.com.s3.amazonaws.com

Refer to Amazon’s documentation about  SES and verification settings Open external link .

Find the TXT and CNAME verification records that Amazon provides.

Add the records to Cloudflare DNS.  For example, if the Cloudflare domain is example.com, the DNS records are similar to the following:

example.com  TXT  "fmxqxT/icOYx4aA/bEUrDPMeax9/s3frblS+niixmqk="
verificationstring._domainkey.example.com  CNAME  verificationstring.dkim.amazonses.com

​​ Amazon ELB configuration

Refer to  Amazon’s ELB help content Open external link  for guidance on ELB configuration at Amazon.

1. Add a CNAME record to Cloudflare for the hostname; for example: elb
2. In the Cloudflare DNS app, replace Domain name with the ELB target: _.._elb.amazonaws.com is the proper CNAME target format (for example: _my-cool-cachepp-1344276401.eu-west-1._elb.amazonaws.com).
3. Reach out to AWS support to determine AWS hostname or region.

​​ Microsoft

Follow Microsoft’s instructions on  configuring Azure DNS settings Open external link .

Add Azure’s required records to Cloudflare DNS.

For example, if the domain is example.com, the record format is similar to:

example.com  A  203.0.113.1
www.example.com  CNAME  example.azurewebsites.net

For verification records, refer to Azure’s documentation on  creating domain verification records Open external link .

​​ Miscellaneous vendors

You can configure Cloudflare to work with ClickFunnels.  The process requires updating your Cloudflare DNS settings.

The following articles from ClickFunnels outline how to best configure the two services for your site:

• Adding a Cloudflare subdomain Open external link
• Cloudflare CNAME record Open external link

Refer to the examples below for adding proper Zoho DNS records to Cloudflare. In all examples, replace example.com with the actual domain name:

• Add Zoho MX records:

example.com  MX  mx.zohomail.com (set Priority to 10)
example.com  MX  mx2.zohomail.com (set Priority to 20)

• (Optional) Add an SPF record:

example.com  TXT  v=spf1 mx include:zoho.com ~all

• (Optional) To access mail through a  custom Zoho URL Open external link , add a CNAME record:

mail  CNAME  business.zoho.com

• (Optional) To add a  Zoho domain validation record Open external link :

zb******** CNAME  business.zoho.com

Typically, the DNS records are similar to the list below. Replace example.com with the actual domain name:

email  CNAME  sendgrid.net
example.com  SPF  v=spf1 a mx include:sendgrid.net ~all
example.com  TXT  v=spf1 a mx include:sendgrid.net ~all
mtpapi._domainkey.EXAMPLE.com  CNAME  dkim.sendgrid.net.
smtpapi._domainkey.e.EXAMPLE.COM  CNAME  dkim.sendgrid.net

Refer to Ning’s documentation on  Custom Domains and DNS entries Open external link .

If the Ning custom domain is  www.example.com Open external link , add a CNAME and an A record as follows:

www.example.com  CNAME  example.ning.com.
example.ning.com  A  208.82.16.68

After Ning verifies the domain, change the grey-cloud icon to an orange-cloud for the Ning DNS records so traffic can proxy to Cloudflare.

Consult SmugMug documentation for the latest details on DNS record requirements. Typically, add CNAME records for SmugMug similar to the following:

photo  CNAME  domains.smugmug.com
photos  CNAME  domains.smugmug.com

After SmugMug verifies the domain, change the grey-cloud icon to an orange-cloud for the SmugMug DNS records so traffic can proxy to Cloudflare.

Refer to  Mandrill’s article on DNS records Open external link  for the latest details on DNS record requirements.

Mandrill requires addition of SPF and DKIM records. Obtain the DNS record values from Mandrill.

Add the SPF and DKIM records as TXT records in the Cloudflare DNS app.

For example, if example.com is the Mandrill domain, add DNS records similar to the following.

example.com  TXT  v=spf1 include:spf.mandrillapp.com ?all
mandrill._domainkey.example.com  TXT  v=DKIM1\; (values from Mandrill)

Configure Rackspace CloudFiles via CNAME record. Consult the Rackspace documentation Open external link .

Confirm the correct CNAME target with Rackspace support.

An example CNAME record appears as follows:

rack  CNAME  e0978.r18.cf2.rackcdn.com

After ensuring that your domain nameservers are set to Cloudflare, 

1. Log in to the Cloudflare dashboard.
2. Click the appropriate Cloudflare account for the domain where you will add records.
3. Ensure the proper domain is selected.
4. Click the DNS app.
5. Ensure that all four (4) A records and the www CNAME from Squarespace are mark Proxied.
6. Ensure that the verify.squarespace.com CNAME record is marked DNS Only.

If set up properly, your Squarespace DNS Settings page will now indicate that your ‘Settings contain problems.’ This is the expected behavior.

Now that your traffic is being sent through Cloudflare, Squarespace and your site’s visitors will see Cloudflare IP addresses. This causes Squarespace console to assume your site is misconfigured as Cloudflare IPs are returned instead of Squarespace assigned addresses. As long as you’ve configured Cloudflare DNS appropriately (above steps 1-6), your Squarespace site should now be working through Cloudflare.

If example.com is the custom domain, add DNS records to Cloudflare similar to these below:

example.com  A  66.6.44.4
www.example.com  CNAME  domains.tumblr.com

​​ Related resources

• Managing Cloudflare DNS records
• CNAME Flattening