How to Add Cloudflare WAF Protection to Your EasyDNS Domain (Partial CNAME Setup from Scratch)

What This Guide Does

This guide shows EasyDNS customers how to add Cloudflare protection (WAF, CDN, DDoS protection, and security features) to their domain without changing nameservers.

You will keep managing DNS in EasyDNS while routing web traffic through Cloudflare using a Partial (CNAME) Setup.

This setup uses:

  • ANAME record for the root domain (example.com)
  • CNAME records for subdomains (e.g. www, app)

Important: This requires a Cloudflare Business plan or higher.

Requirements

Before you begin, you need:

  • A domain managed in your EasyDNS account
  • A Cloudflare account (you will need to upgrade to Business plan)
  • Access to both dashboards
  • Approximately 30–60 minutes (plus time for DNS propagation)

Step 1: Create a New Zone in Cloudflare (From Scratch)

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
  2. Click the + Add a Site button.
  3. Enter your full domain name (example: example.com) and click Continue.
  4. Select the Business plan (or Enterprise).
  5. Review the pricing and click Confirm plan.
  6. On the DNS scan screen, Cloudflare may detect some records. You can review them, then click Continue.
  7. Cloudflare will display two nameservers. Ignore these — do not change your nameservers in EasyDNS.

Your domain is now added to Cloudflare as a new zone.

Step 2: Convert the Zone to Partial (CNAME) Setup

  1. In the Cloudflare dashboard, go to your domain’s Overview page.
  2. Look for the option Convert to CNAME DNS Setup (it may appear as a card or button on the Overview page).
  3. Click Convert.
  4. Confirm the conversion.
  5. Cloudflare will now display a Verification TXT Record. Copy the entire record — you will need the Name and Content values in the next step.

Step 3: Add the Verification TXT Record in EasyDNS

  1. Log in to your EasyDNS account and click MANAGE next to your domain.
  2. Click DNS SETTINGS.
  3. Scroll to the TXT Records section.
  4. Click Add (or the edit icon).
  5. Enter the verification record from Cloudflare:
    • Host: Use the name provided by Cloudflare (usually starts with _cfverify)
    • Value: Paste the long verification string exactly as shown in Cloudflare
    • TTL: 300 (5 minutes)
  6. Click Next, then Confirm to save the record.

Note: Wait 5–15 minutes before proceeding to allow the record to propagate.

Step 4: Add ANAME Record for the Root Domain in EasyDNS

This allows your root domain (example.com) to work with Cloudflare.

  1. In EasyDNS DNS SETTINGS, go to the CNAME / ALIAS Records section.
  2. Click Add or the edit icon.
  3. Create the ANAME record:
    • Host: @
    • Address: example.com.cdn.cloudflare.net (Replace example.com with your actual domain name)
    • TTL: 300
  4. Click Next → Confirm.

EasyDNS will automatically handle this as an ANAME record.

Step 5: Add CNAME Records for Subdomains in EasyDNS

Add a CNAME record for every subdomain you want to protect with Cloudflare (commonly www).

  1. In DNS SETTINGS, go to the CNAME Records section.
  2. Click Add.
  3. Create the record:
    • Host: www (or app, shop, api, etc.)
    • Address: www.example.com.cdn.cloudflare.net (Replace with the correct subdomain + .cdn.cloudflare.net)
    • TTL: 300
  4. Click Next → Confirm.
  5. Repeat for any other subdomains you want to protect.

Recommended starting records:

Host Record Type Target Purpose
@ ANAME example.com.cdn.cloudflare.net Root domain
www CNAME www.example.com.cdn.cloudflare.net Main website

Step 6: Remove Conflicting Records in EasyDNS

For the hostnames you just configured (root and subdomains), remove any old records that could conflict:

  • Delete any existing A or AAAA records for @ and www.
  • Leave other records (MX for email, SPF, DKIM, etc.) in place.

This prevents DNS conflicts.

Step 7: Verify Everything Is Working

  1. Check DNS Resolution
    • Use DNSChecker.org or run these commands:

      Bash

      dig example.com
dig www.example.com
  2. Test Your Website
    • Visit https://example.com and https://www.example.com in a browser.
    • The site should load normally.
  3. Check Cloudflare Dashboard
    • Return to Cloudflare.
    • Your domain should show as Active.
    • You can now begin configuring security features.

Next Steps After Setup

Once the basic proxy is working, you can enable Cloudflare features such as:

  • Web Application Firewall (WAF)
  • Bot Fight Mode
  • Caching rules
  • Page Rules
  • SSL/TLS settings

These are all configured inside the Cloudflare dashboard under the Security and Caching tabs.

Important Notes

  • DNS Propagation: Full propagation can take up to 48 hours, but most changes appear within 30–60 minutes.
  • Email Services: MX records and email-related settings remain in EasyDNS and are unaffected.
  • SSL Certificate: Cloudflare will automatically provision a free SSL certificate.
  • Reverting Changes: You can remove the ANAME/CNAME records in EasyDNS at any time to go back to your previous setup.
  • Support: Contact EasyDNS support for DNS record issues. Contact Cloudflare support for issues with the Partial setup or security features.

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