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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallWhen you proxy a website hostname through Cloudflare, visitors connect to Cloudflare first, and Cloudflare forwards their requests to your host. That changes the DNS answer, what your origin server sees as the network connection, and how HTTPS is handled. Cloudflare can also apply caching and security rules on the route, depending on your configuration.
1. DNS points visitors to Cloudflare, not directly to your host
For a proxied A, AAAA, or CNAME record, DNS returns Cloudflare anycast addresses instead of the origin server’s address. The visitor’s web request then passes through Cloudflare before it reaches the origin. With a DNS-only record, DNS returns the underlying target and the HTTP proxy is bypassed. See Cloudflare’s proxy-status documentation.
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This distinction applies to supported web traffic, not every DNS record: MX and TXT records cannot be proxied. Cloudflare’s standard proxy handles HTTP and HTTPS, so records for mail and services such as SSH, FTP, RDP, or game servers should remain DNS-only unless you use a separately suitable service. Cloudflare’s use-case guidance explains the supported and unsupported cases.
2. Your origin sees Cloudflare as the network peer
A proxied request reaches your origin from a Cloudflare IP address, rather than directly from the visitor’s source address. Cloudflare supplies the visitor IP in headers including CF-Connecting-IP and X-Forwarded-For. If your application, logs, geolocation, authentication, or rate limits need the visitor’s address, configure them to use forwarded information safely. See Cloudflare’s HTTP header reference and its guidance on proxy use cases.
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Your origin firewall also needs to allow Cloudflare’s published IP ranges; otherwise it may block requests arriving through the proxy. Cloudflare publishes those ranges at Cloudflare IP addresses. If a third-party API or webhook integration checks the apparent source IP and requires the origin address, it may stop working when requests arrive through Cloudflare instead.
3. HTTPS ends at Cloudflare and starts again to the origin
Cloudflare terminates the visitor’s TLS connection, then establishes a separate connection to the origin. The origin therefore does not receive the visitor’s client certificate as part of its own TLS handshake. If your application relies on client certificates, account for this separate TLS boundary in its design. Cloudflare also adds or changes request headers, so the proxy is an active request-processing hop—not merely a DNS lookup change. Details are in Cloudflare’s proxy use-case documentation and its HTTP header reference.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the proxy can—and cannot—do
Cloudflare says proxying can hide the origin address from ordinary DNS answers and allows configured features such as DDoS protection, caching, and a web application firewall to act on traffic. In its origin-protection documentation, last updated October 2, 2026, Cloudflare says: “Proxy records (when possible): Set up proxied (orange-clouded) DNS records to hide your origin IP addresses and provide DDoS protection.” Read Cloudflare’s origin-protection guidance.
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That DNS answer does not prove the origin is undiscoverable. A DNS-only record or another disclosure may reveal its address. Review records that point directly to the origin, and configure the origin firewall to accept Cloudflare traffic while restricting unwanted direct access where appropriate. Cloudflare’s published IP ranges are relevant to that firewall configuration.
Proxying does not mean every request or asset will be cached. What Cloudflare caches depends on the resource, response headers, and configuration. Origin Cache-Control directives can govern caching, while Cache Rules can augment or override origin directives or defaults. See How Cloudflare DNS works and Origin Cache Control.
Quick Recap
Before you proxy a hostname
- Confirm that the hostname serves HTTP or HTTPS and that Cloudflare should process its traffic.
- Check whether an application or third party needs to see the origin IP rather than Cloudflare’s address.
- Allow Cloudflare’s published IP ranges through the origin firewall, and configure the application to trust forwarded visitor-IP headers appropriately.
- Review TLS settings, especially if the origin expects a client certificate from the visitor.
- Keep mail and non-HTTP service records DNS-only unless you have a separately suitable service for them.
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