BENTECH

Connecting IONOS Domains to Cloudflare

Master configuring Cloudflare DNS, pointing third-party registrar nameservers from IONOS, and optimizing site security and delivery settings.

A comprehensive practical course that guides you through establishing Cloudflare as the authoritative DNS manager for domains registered through IONOS. You will learn domain registration on Cloudflare, plan selection, DNS record import, nameserver delegation in the IONOS control panel, and post-connection SSL and performance configuration.

Section 1: Account Setup and Domain Registration on Cloudflare

Learn how to access Cloudflare, register your naked domain name, select the free tier, and examine imported DNS records.

Lesson 1.1: Cloudflare Login and Site Registration

  • Cloudflare Portal Navigation
  • Domain Input Formatting
  • Free Plan Selection

To begin using Cloudflare as your primary DNS manager and reverse proxy, you first need an active Cloudflare account. When entering your domain into Cloudflare, remember that the platform expects standard root domain formatting (such as yourdomain.com). Do not include protocols like http:// or https://, and avoid prepending subdomains like www. After submitting the root domain, Cloudflare presents its tier options: Pro, Business, and Enterprise. For most standard personal or small business websites, scroll down and choose the $0 Free tier, which includes complete DNS management, unmetered DDoS mitigation, and global CDN caching.

Practical work

  1. Visit cloudflare.com and create or log in to your account.
  2. Click 'Add a Site' and type in your bare domain name without www or https.
  3. Scroll down, choose the Free plan, and click Continue.

Lesson 1.2: DNS Record Discovery and Nameserver Assignment

  • Automated DNS Record Scanning
  • Reviewing Proxy Records
  • Obtaining Assigned Nameservers

Upon selecting your plan, Cloudflare runs an automated discovery scan across public DNS to identify existing records connected to your domain. This includes address records (A, AAAA), alias records (CNAME), and mail server records (MX). Review these imported records carefully to confirm that critical mail and server IP addresses match your current hosting configuration. Once you continue past this review, Cloudflare provides two authoritative nameserver hostnames (e.g., aisha.ns.cloudflare.com and piotr.ns.cloudflare.com) that will replace the defaults at your registrar.

Practical work

  1. Inspect the scanned DNS records to verify your host and email records.
  2. Copy the primary and secondary Cloudflare nameserver hostnames to your clipboard.

Section 2: Delegating Nameservers and Optimizing Performance

Configure custom nameservers within IONOS and establish essential HTTPS and optimization rules inside Cloudflare.

Lesson 2.1: Updating Nameservers in IONOS

  • IONOS Control Panel Navigation
  • Custom Nameserver Configuration
  • Saving and Applying Changes

To transfer DNS authority to Cloudflare, you must log into your registrar account where the domain is registered. In this demonstration, the registrar is IONOS. In the IONOS dashboard, click the Menu button and navigate to 'Domains & SSL'. Find your domain in the list, click the gear icon under Actions, and select 'Name Server'. The page displays the current default IONOS nameservers. Click the 'Use custom name servers' button to reveal the editable name server slots. Paste the primary Cloudflare nameserver into 'Name Server 1' and the secondary into 'Name Server 2'. Save your settings to begin propagation.

Practical work

  1. Log into ionos.com and navigate to Menu > Domains & SSL.
  2. Click the gear icon for your target domain and choose Name Server.
  3. Click 'Use custom name servers', paste the two Cloudflare nameserver hostnames, and click Save.

Lesson 2.2: Quick Start Guide & Security Configuration

  • Automatic HTTPS Rewrites
  • Always Use HTTPS Redirection
  • Auto Minify and Brotli Compression
  • Verifying Nameserver Status

After saving your custom nameservers in IONOS, return to the Cloudflare tab and click 'Done, check nameservers'. Cloudflare offers a Quick Start Guide to pre-configure security and performance enhancements. First, enable 'Automatic HTTPS Rewrites' to prevent mixed-content warnings by requesting secure HTTPS assets when available. Next, enable 'Always Use HTTPS' to ensure all visitors are redirected to encrypted connections. Then, toggle 'Auto Minify' for JavaScript, CSS, and HTML to strip unnecessary characters from source code and enable Brotli compression. Finish the setup and monitor the dashboard until the domain updates from 'Pending Nameserver Update' to 'Active'.

Practical work

  1. Click 'Done, check nameservers' in Cloudflare.
  2. Step through the Quick Start Guide: enable Automatic HTTPS Rewrites and Always Use HTTPS.
  3. Select checkboxes for Auto Minify (JavaScript, CSS, HTML) and enable Brotli.
  4. Click Finish and refresh the dashboard periodically until the site status displays 'Active'.