Session 6: The Post Office — Configuring DNS and Cloudflare

Welcome to Session 6! In our previous session, you successfully reserved your custom domain name (such as yourname.eu.org or a paid .com domain). Right now, your domain is registered, but it is like a phone number that hasn't been connected to a service provider.

Over the next 45 to 60 minutes, you will connect your domain to Cloudflare—the world's leading, completely free web-routing and security shield. You will learn how DNS operates and change your first Name Servers.

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Prerequisites

• A laptop connected to the internet.
• Your registered domain name from Session 5.
• Your login details for your domain registrar (e.g., nic.eu.org or where you registered your domain).

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Core Concepts: What is DNS and Cloudflare?

• What is DNS? DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is the Global Telephone Directory of the Internet. When you type waqarrides.com into your browser, DNS looks up the domain name and tells your browser: "Go to IP address 104.21.32.181 to fetch the website files."
• What are Name Servers? Think of Name Servers as the Official Local Post Offices representing your domain. They contain the official directory records telling the internet where to send web requests (website traffic) or email traffic for your specific name.
• What is Cloudflare? Cloudflare acts as an always-on security shield and lightning-fast router for your website. It stands between your server and visitors, blocking hackers, making your site load instantly, and providing a free SSL Security Padlock (https://) so visitors know your site is safe. Best of all, its basic plan is 100% free!

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Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Adding Your Website to Cloudflare

Let's register your custom address into Cloudflare's routing network.

1. Open your browser and navigate to: https://dash.cloudflare.com/
2. If you don't have an account, sign up with your email and password. If you purchased a domain via Cloudflare in Session 5, log in now—your domain will already be inside!
3. On your main dashboard home screen, click the blue button that says "Add a site" (or "Websites" → "Add Site").
4. In the text box, type your custom domain name exactly (do not include www or https://—just type yourname.eu.org or yourname.com).
5. Click "Continue".
6. The Pricing Selection Screen: Cloudflare will show various monthly subscription boxes.
   • ⚠️ IMPORTANT GUI STEP: Scroll past the expensive paid blocks all the way to the very bottom of the page.
   • Locate the plain, white box labeled "Free" ($0 / Month). Click on it to select it.
   • Click "Continue".

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Step 2: The Automatic DNS Scan

Cloudflare will automatically look up your domain on the global directories to see if any default configurations already exist.

1. Wait about 10 seconds for the automatic scan to finish.
2. You will see a table titled "Review your DNS records". If this is a new domain, this table will be empty.
3. Click the "Continue" (or "Next") button at the bottom of the page.

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Step 3: Changing Your Nameservers (The Key Bridge)

Cloudflare will now display its instructions screen. It will look like this:

• "1. Log in to your registrar account..."
• "2. Remove these nameservers..."
• "3. Add Cloudflare's nameservers:"
  • ashley.ns.cloudflare.com
  • ben.ns.cloudflare.com

Let's follow these visual steps on your registrar to point your domain to Cloudflare's post offices:

If you are using EU.org (Path A from Session 5):

1. Open a new browser tab and log in to https://nic.eu.org/.
2. In your domain list panel, click directly on your domain name (e.g., yourname.eu.org).
3. At the top menu bar of your domain details page, click on the "Nameservers" tab.
4. Under the Nameservers configuration form:
   • Click the radio button that says "nameservers" (custom records).
   • Locate the text fields containing ns1.digitalocean.com and ns2.digitalocean.com.
   • Delete both of those completely.
   • In the Name 1 field, copy and paste the first Cloudflare nameserver exactly:

     ashley.ns.cloudflare.com

   • In the Name 2 field, copy and paste the second Cloudflare nameserver exactly:

     ben.ns.cloudflare.com

5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Submit" (or "Save") button.

(Note: If you purchased your domain directly through Cloudflare in Session 5, this nameserver configuration is done automatically. You can proceed directly to the next step!)

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Step 4: Activating Your Security Settings

Now let's tell Cloudflare we have updated our post office settings.

1. Go back to your open Cloudflare browser tab.
2. Click the blue button at the bottom: "Done, check nameservers".
3. Cloudflare will display a Quick Start Guide. Follow these quick clicks:
   • Automatic HTTPS Rewrites: Click the toggle to On, then click Save. (This ensures all visitors connect using the secure padlock connection).
   • Always Use HTTPS: Click the toggle to On, then click Save.
   • Auto Minify: Leave all checkboxes blank, click Save.
   • Brotli Compression: Click toggle On, click Save.
4. Finally, click "Finish".

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Verification: Did it work?

Let's check if the bridge is active:

1. On your Cloudflare Dashboard's home view, click "Overview" (in the left sidebar).
2. You may see a message saying "Cloudflare is checking... please wait". This is because nameserver changes can take from 15 minutes up to 4 hours to replicate globally.
3. Click the "Check now" button to force a live scan.
4. The Success Banner: When the update is processed, Cloudflare will send you a confirmation email, and your dashboard status header will transform into a beautiful green checkmark saying:

   Great news! Cloudflare is now protecting your site

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What's Next?

Incredible work! You have successfully configured your custom domain's global routing settings. Anyone typing your domain name will now be safely routed through Cloudflare's massive global network.

Now, we need to connect our actual webpage files from GitHub to this network so visitors can see your beautiful website. In Session 7, we will go live publicly using Cloudflare Pages!