Integrate Cloudflare for DNS Management with xCloud

With xCloud, you can easily integrate Cloudflare for DNS management to enhance the performance and security of your WordPress site. xCloud streamlines the hosting and administration of WordPress websites. It allows developers and agencies to focus on website development without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

We are using only Cloudflare’s DNS management service with xCloud. DNS (Domain Name System) serves as the backbone of the internet, translating user-friendly domain names into IP addresses to identify each other. Cloudflare’s DNS (Domain Name System) management allows for efficient control and optimization of your website’s domain settings.

What API Access Do We Require?

xCloud needs only one credential from Cloudflare: an API Token. A Global API Key is no longer needed, and neither is the Origin CA Key, which Cloudflare has retired.

Give the token the permissions for the xCloud features you use. Each one is listed in xCloud’s integration form too:

Cloudflare token permission	What xCloud uses it for
Zone → Zone → Read	Find the zone that holds a domain
Zone → DNS → Edit	Create, update and delete DNS records
Zone → SSL and Certificates → Edit	Issue, read and revoke Cloudflare Origin certificates (Cloudflare Managed SSL)
Zone → Zone Settings → Edit	Set the SSL/TLS encryption mode and the security level
Zone → Cache Rules → Edit	Manage the edge cache rule
Zone → Cache Purge → Purge	Purge the edge cache
Zone → Zone WAF → Edit	Manage the security (WAF) rules

Note: If you only want xCloud to manage DNS records, Zone → Zone → Read and Zone → DNS → Edit are enough.

For SSL certificates, zone settings, caching and WAF rules, a missing permission shows an error that names it, for example Your Cloudflare API token is missing the “Zone › SSL and Certificates › Edit” permission…. Zone lookup and DNS records do not: if xCloud cannot find your domain or cannot add DNS records, check that the token has Zone → Zone → Read and Zone → DNS → Edit for that zone.

You can create the token for all zones. If you don’t want to give full access, select ‘Specific Zone’ and choose only the zones you want to use with xCloud.

How To Integrate Cloudflare For DNS Management

With Cloudflare’s DNS management integrated into xCloud, you gain the advantage of a globally distributed network, ensuring fast and secure access to your WordPress site. By leveraging Cloudflare’s DNS network, you can enhance the speed, reliability, and security of your website. Now let’s follow the simple steps to configure Cloudflare integration.

Step 1. Bring Domain In Cloudflare Account 

To integrate Cloudflare with xCloud, first, you need to add the domain to Cloudflare. If you are new to Cloudflare, watch the video below to learn how to get started.  

Once you have added your domain to your Cloudflare account, Cloudflare will give you a set of nameservers. They will look something like this:

one.ns.cloudflare.com
two.ns.cloudflare.com

These nameservers need to be entered inside your domain registrar account. If you are a beginner, you can check out the most popular domain registrars like Bluehost, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Namesilo, etc. 

When you enter your nameservers, you may need to wait for a few hours to see the effect. Cloudflare will send you an email when this domain becomes active in your account.

Step 2. Create Your Cloudflare API Token

Now, create the API Token that xCloud will use.

Create an API Token

Log in to your Cloudflare account. From the Cloudflare dashboard, go to ‘My Profile’ option from the top right menu.

Then, click on the ‘API Tokens’ option from the left sidebar and click on the ‘Create Token’ button from the ‘User API Tokens’ dashboard.

Now, go to the ‘API Token Templates’ section, choose the ‘Edit Zone DNS’ template and click on the ‘Use Template’ button.

The template gives the token Zone → DNS → Edit. Click ‘+ Add more’ and add the other permissions from the table above for the features you use, for example Zone → Zone → Read, and Zone → SSL and Certificates → Edit for Cloudflare Managed SSL.

Tip: You can also create the token from your Cloudflare account’s own API Tokens page (an account-owned token). xCloud accepts both kinds. An account-owned token must include Zone → Zone → Read, so xCloud can find the account that owns it.

Now, select Zone resources. Here, you can create an API token for all zones. But if you don’t want to provide full access, select ‘Specific Zone’ and only choose the zones you want to use. After selecting zones, click on ‘Continue To Summary’.

Then click on ‘Create Token’. The token will be successfully created. 

Copy the API Token

Now, copy the API Token you just created. Cloudflare shows it only once, so keep it somewhere safe until you add it to xCloud.

Note: You don’t need the Global API Key or the Origin CA Key. Cloudflare retired the Origin CA Key on 30 September 2026, and xCloud now uses the API Token for every Cloudflare feature.

Step 3: Add Your API Token to xCloud for Cloudflare Integration

From the xCloud dashboard, click Settings in the left menu, then Integrations → Cloudflare. Now, click on the ‘New Cloudflare Integration’ button. A team can have up to 5 Cloudflare integrations.

A new window will pop up. Enter a name for the integration, the email address of your Cloudflare account and the API Token you copied, then click ‘Submit’. The form lists the permissions the token needs.

You have now integrated Cloudflare with your xCloud account successfully. The integration appears in the Cloudflare Integration panel, with the token masked to its last 4 characters.

Missing Token Permissions and Updating the Token

The Token Permissions column shows any permission Cloudflare refused for the token, or ‘No missing permission detected’. xCloud only checks that the token is valid and active when you save it. A permission is recorded as missing the first time a feature that needs it is refused, so a clean column does not mean the token has every permission in the table above. To fix a missing permission:

1. In Cloudflare, edit the same token (or create a new one) and add the permission shown in xCloud.
2. In xCloud, click the Update Token action on the integration and paste the token.

Updating the token clears the recorded missing permissions, so xCloud tries the new token straight away. Update Token keeps the integration’s email. To use a different Cloudflare account email, delete the integration and add it again.

Integrations created before the October 2026 update also have a Global API Key. For SSL certificates, zone settings, caching and WAF rules, xCloud keeps using that key when the token lacks the permission, so nothing stops working in the meantime. Update Token does not remove the key. Before you revoke or roll your Global API Key in Cloudflare, make sure the token has every permission in the table above, or delete and re-add the integration.

Automatic SSL/TLS Configuration

When xCloud issues a Cloudflare SSL certificate for a site, it sets the zone’s SSL/TLS encryption mode in Cloudflare to ‘Full Strict’. This needs Zone → Zone Settings → Edit. Without it, set Full (strict) yourself under SSL/TLS in Cloudflare, or the site can end up in a redirect loop.

Note: Ensure that the encryption mode is set to ‘Full Strict’ for enhanced security, and please do not change it if not required.

Step 4: Provision xCloud Site Using Cloudflare to Update DNS

Now, go to the xCloud dashboard and click on ‘+New Site’. From the ‘Choose a Server to add Site’ dropdown, select a server and click on ‘Next’. Then, click on ‘Install New WordPress Website’. Now fill up all the required fields. 

Step 5: Multi-Domain Support for Cloudflare Managed Sites

Now enter your ‘Primary Domain’ of your site in the blank field. Then add the ‘Additional Domain’ in the dedicated field. You can add multiple additional domains by clicking on the ‘Add Domain’ button. 

With xCloud, you can now connect multiple domains to a single site through Cloudflare Managed Sites. This means you can set up a primary domain (for example, example.com) and then add ‘Additional domains’ (such as sample.com or demo.net) to point to the same site. Next, click the check mark button of ‘Add DNS and SSL certificate on Cloudflare’ to verify the DNS setup in 1 click.

Note: You can add multiple domains during the site creation, site cloning and from the site overview dashboard later

You can also add additional domains from your site dashboard. Just go to the ‘Domain from the site dashboard and add your domains in the ‘Additional Domain’ under the ‘Domain’ section. Once you check the box beside the Cloudflare DNS, you will be able to see that the domains are activated.

👉For more details about the step-by-step process of site creation, read this documentation

That’s it! You have successfully integrated the Cloudflare account in xCloud. Note that Cloudflare integration is available with all site installation features in xCloud, no matter whether you are creating a new site, cloning an existing one, or migrating it. Now you can start working on your website, customize it, install themes/plugins (if applicable), and take advantage of xCloud’s optimized server environment to manage your site.

Security Reminder

Your API Token is an important credential. It gives access to key infrastructure services. Keep it private and do not share it with anyone you do not fully trust.

If your token is exposed, it can lead to security issues, unwanted changes, or service problems. Roll or delete it in Cloudflare, then use Update Token in xCloud.

xCloud uses your API Token only for the tasks in the permission table above: DNS records, Cloudflare Origin certificates, the SSL/TLS mode and security level, edge caching and security (WAF) rules. A token scoped to those permissions and to your own zones is safer than a Global API Key, which can do anything in your Cloudflare account.

xCloud will only use your token for these specific purposes. We will never share it with anyone else. Your security is our top concern.

Using Cloudflare Enterprise with xCloud

The steps below are for xCloud’s standard Cloudflare DNS integration. If you are using the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on, follow the guide that matches your domain:

• For a domain connected to an xCloud-hosted site, see How to Activate the Cloudflare Enterprise Addon on Your Domain.
• For a domain hosted outside xCloud, see How to Use Cloudflare Enterprise for External Domains.

Troubleshooting

“No cloudflare account found for this domain”

xCloud shows No cloudflare account found for this domain. Please add your domain to cloudflare first. when none of the Cloudflare accounts connected to your xCloud team can see the domain as an active zone. You can see it when you create a site, add a domain, or choose Cloudflare SSL. Check these in order:

1. The token’s zone access. If you created the token with Specific Zone, open it under My Profile → API Tokens in Cloudflare and make sure the zone for this domain is included. Then use Update Token in xCloud if you made a new token.
2. The Cloudflare account. The domain must be in the Cloudflare account whose token you added to xCloud. If it sits in another Cloudflare account, add that account as a second integration in xCloud.
3. The xCloud team. Cloudflare integrations belong to a team. Add the integration in the same team that owns the server and site.
4. The zone status. xCloud only matches zones that Cloudflare shows as Active. A zone that is still Pending (nameservers not yet changed at your registrar) is not found. Finish Step 1 and wait for Cloudflare’s activation email.

After a fix, wait about a minute and try again. xCloud remembers each lookup for a minute.

If the message instead starts with Could not list the zones on a connected Cloudflare account, one of your connected tokens is invalid, expired or missing Zone → Zone → Read. The message names that account. Update its token, or delete that integration if you no longer use it.

Browser warning with a Cloudflare Origin Certificate

A Cloudflare Origin Certificate is trusted only by Cloudflare’s proxy, not by browsers. This covers the certificate xCloud issues when you choose Cloudflare SSL, and one you create yourself in Cloudflare and paste into xCloud. If the DNS record is DNS only (grey cloud), visitors connect straight to your server, see that certificate, and get a “Your connection is not private” warning.

To fix it, open DNS → Records in Cloudflare and set the record’s Proxy status to Proxied (orange cloud). If you want the record to stay DNS only, switch the site in xCloud to Use free SSL certificate issued & managed by xCloud on the SSL/HTTPS page instead.

xCloud adds records as Proxied for the main domain and one level of subdomain (for example blog.example.com). A deeper subdomain such as shop.dev.example.com is added as DNS only, so use xCloud’s free SSL for it.

Frequently asked questions

Why does xCloud say “No cloudflare account found for this domain”?

None of the Cloudflare accounts connected to your xCloud team can see the domain as an active zone. Check that your API token includes this zone, that the domain is in the Cloudflare account you connected, that the integration is in the same xCloud team as the site, and that the zone shows Active in Cloudflare. Then wait about a minute and try again.

My domain is in Cloudflare. Why is it still not found?

The usual causes are a token created for Specific Zone that does not include this domain, a domain that sits in a different Cloudflare account, or a zone that is still Pending because the nameservers have not been changed yet. xCloud only matches zones Cloudflare shows as Active.

Why does my site show a certificate warning with a Cloudflare Origin Certificate?

An Origin Certificate is trusted only by Cloudflare’s proxy. If the DNS record is DNS only (grey cloud), browsers connect directly to your server and do not trust it. Set the record’s Proxy status to Proxied in Cloudflare, or use xCloud’s free SSL certificate for that site.

Still stuck? Contact our dedicated support team for any of your queries.