Using Cloudflare DNS with Hoststack Hosting

Plenty of Hoststack customers keep their domain's DNS on Cloudflare for its free CDN, caching and DDoS protection while their actual website and email are hosted with us. This works well as long as a few records are set up correctly.

Setting it up

• Add your domain as a site in Cloudflare — it will scan and import your existing DNS records automatically
• Verify the imported A record points to your Hoststack server IP (found in your welcome email or client area) — add or correct it if missing
• Update your nameservers at your domain registrar to the two Cloudflare nameservers shown on your dashboard
• Allow up to 24 hours for the nameserver change to propagate before troubleshooting further

Don't forget email records

If you use cPanel email hosting on your Hoststack account, make sure your MX, SPF, DKIM and any autodiscover records also get carried over into Cloudflare — the initial scan sometimes misses these. Compare against what's shown in cPanel's Zone Editor before switching nameservers, so email doesn't stop working mid-migration.

Proxy status: orange cloud vs grey cloud

• Orange cloud (proxied): traffic routes through Cloudflare's network first — enables CDN caching, DDoS protection and hides your real server IP. Use this for your A record (www and root)
• Grey cloud (DNS only): traffic goes straight to your server, bypassing Cloudflare's proxy — required for mail-related records (MX, autodiscover) since they must resolve to your actual mail server

SSL mode matters

In Cloudflare's SSL/TLS settings, set the mode to Full (Strict) once your Hoststack SSL certificate is active — "Flexible" mode causes redirect loops or mixed-content issues because it terminates encryption at Cloudflare and connects to your server over plain HTTP.