hugosite-5l0.pages.dev Open in urlscan Pro
172.66.0.102  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Menu OpenMenu Close
 * Home
 * Blog
 * Categories

theme switcher
search icon

Type something to search..
to navigate to select ESC to close


CLOUDFLARE - FREE SERVICES THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW OF.

 * Aito Nakajima
 * Linux , Network , Web
 * September 21, 2024

Table of Contents
 1. SSL Certificates
 2. Cloudflare Pages
 3. Email Forwarding
 4. Cloudflare Tunnel (Argo Tunnel)
 5. Cloudflare Workers
 6. Cloudflare DNS
 7. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
 8. Conclusion
 9. Links

Cloudflare is widely known for its powerful Content Delivery Network (CDN) and
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection. However, they offer a range of
free services that can greatly benefit developers, small businesses, and
individuals. In this blog, I’ll introduce some lesser-known free services that
you can leverage to boost security, speed, and reliability for your websites and
applications.


SSL CERTIFICATES

One of the most important aspects of web security is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
encryption, which ensures that the data exchanged between a server and a client
is secure. Cloudflare offers free SSL certificates, making it easy to enable
HTTPS for your website. With just a few clicks, you can have a secure
connection, eliminating the need to manually purchase and configure SSL
certificates.

Benefits:

 * Automatically secure your domain.
 * No need to purchase a third-party SSL certificate.
 * Simple setup and management through Cloudflare’s dashboard.

How to use it:
When you register your domain with Cloudflare, SSL is automatically set up. You
can manage your SSL settings under the SSL/TLS tab of the Cloudflare dashboard.


CLOUDFLARE PAGES

If you’re a developer looking for a way to host your static websites (HTML, CSS,
JavaScript), Cloudflare Pages is an excellent free service. It integrates
seamlessly with GitHub and allows for continuous deployment, meaning you can
push code changes to GitHub, and Cloudflare will automatically update your site.

Benefits:

 * Free hosting for static sites.
 * Continuous deployment via GitHub.
 * Automatic performance optimizations like edge caching.
 * Custom domains and SSL are included for free.

How to use it:
Set up a new project in Cloudflare Pages, connect it to your GitHub repository,
and choose the branch you want to deploy. Every time you push changes to that
branch, your site will be updated automatically.


EMAIL FORWARDING

Many people don’t know that Cloudflare offers free email forwarding, allowing
you to set up professional-looking email addresses using your domain. Instead of
paying for a custom email hosting service, Cloudflare’s email routing lets you
forward emails from an address on your domain (e.g., contact@yourdomain.com) to
your personal Gmail, Outlook, or other email accounts.

Benefits:

 * Free email forwarding service.
 * Set up custom email addresses for your domain.
 * No need to run a mail server or pay for email hosting.

How to use it:
Go to the Email Routing section in your Cloudflare dashboard. From there, you
can add email routes by entering a forwarding address.


CLOUDFLARE TUNNEL (ARGO TUNNEL)

Cloudflare Tunnel is a lesser-known but powerful service that allows you to
expose a local server to the internet without opening firewall ports or messing
with router settings. It creates a secure, encrypted connection between your
machine and Cloudflare’s global network, making your web service or app
accessible over the internet without the need for a public IP address.

Benefits:

 * Expose local servers or apps securely to the internet.
 * No need to configure firewalls or DNS manually.
 * Free service with 50 tunnel connections.

How to use it:
To set up a Cloudflare Tunnel, install Cloudflare’s cloudflared tool and run a
few commands to create the tunnel between your local environment and
Cloudflare’s network.


CLOUDFLARE WORKERS

Cloudflare Workers allow you to run JavaScript, Rust, or C++ code on the edge of
Cloudflare’s network, making it a cost-effective way to build and deploy
serverless functions. Whether you need to create API endpoints, run background
jobs, or handle request data, Workers can execute the logic closer to your
users, improving performance and reducing latency.

Benefits:

 * Run serverless code at the edge.
 * No need to manage servers or scaling.
 * 100,000 free requests per day.

How to use it:
Create a new Worker using the Cloudflare Workers dashboard or the command-line
tool Wrangler. You can write and deploy your serverless functions with minimal
setup.


CLOUDFLARE DNS

Cloudflare’s free DNS service is one of the fastest and most reliable in the
industry. It also provides DNSSEC to protect your domains from DNS hijacking. By
using Cloudflare as your DNS provider, you can improve both the security and
performance of your domain’s DNS resolution.

Benefits:

 * Fast and globally distributed DNS service.
 * Free DNSSEC protection.
 * User-friendly interface for managing DNS records.

How to use it:
When you add your domain to Cloudflare, you’ll need to point your domain’s
nameservers to Cloudflare. Once set up, you can easily manage all your DNS
records through their dashboard.


ZERO TRUST NETWORK ACCESS (ZTNA)

With Cloudflare’s Zero Trust service, you can secure your organization’s
internal applications using their Access feature. It replaces traditional VPNs
with a modern, identity-aware proxy, which limits access based on user identity,
device posture, and security policies.

Benefits:

 * Secure internal applications without a VPN.
 * Enforce identity-based access controls.
 * Free plan for small teams.

How to use it:
You can configure Zero Trust access through the Cloudflare Access dashboard by
defining access policies and integrating identity providers like Google
Workspace or Okta.


CONCLUSION

Cloudflare’s free offerings go far beyond just a CDN and DDoS protection. From
SSL certificates and DNS to more advanced services like serverless computing
with Workers and secure tunnels, there are many ways to utilize Cloudflare to
improve your online presence or development workflow without breaking the bank.

Are you already using any of these free Cloudflare services? If not, now might
be the perfect time to explore how these tools can help you enhance your
website’s security, performance, and reliability.


LINKS

Cloudflare

TAGS :

 * Tools
 * Cloudflare

SHARE :


Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.


RELATED POSTS

BAT - A BETTER 'CAT'?

 * Aito Nakajima
 * MAC , Linux

Understanding the bat Command A Modern Alternative to cat When it comes to
displaying file content in Linux and Unix-based systems, the cat command has
been a go-to utility for decades.

Read More

ZOXIDE - A BETTER 'CD'?

 * Aito Nakajima
 * MAC , Linux

Hey everyone, Today, we’re diving into a super handy terminal tool called
zoxide.

Read More

OPTIMIZING YOUR WORKFLOW WITH TMUX.

 * Aito Nakajima
 * MAC , Linux

If you spend a lot of time in the terminal, managing multiple tasks, windows,
and processes can become chaotic.

Read More
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

© 2024 - NakaTechLabs