cloudflare-dns

name	cloudflare-dns
description	Comprehensive guide for managing Cloudflare DNS with Azure integration. Use when configuring Cloudflare as authoritative DNS provider for Azure-hosted applications, managing DNS records via API, setting up API tokens, configuring proxy settings, troubleshooting DNS issues, implementing DNS security best practices, or integrating External-DNS with Cloudflare for Kubernetes workloads.

Cloudflare DNS Skill

Complete Cloudflare DNS operations via REST API with focus on Azure integration.

Overview

This skill covers Cloudflare DNS management for Azure-hosted workloads, including:

• API token configuration and security
• DNS record management (A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT, MX)
• Proxy settings (orange/gray cloud)
• External-DNS integration for Kubernetes
• Troubleshooting and monitoring

Authentication

API Token (Recommended)

Create scoped API tokens instead of using Global API Key:

Required Permissions:

Permission	Access	Purpose
Zone > Zone	Read	List zones
Zone > DNS	Edit	Manage DNS records

Create Token:

1. Cloudflare Dashboard > My Profile > API Tokens
2. Create Token > Custom token
3. Add permissions above
4. Zone Resources: Specific zones only
5. (Optional) IP filtering for extra security

Environment Setup:

# Export for API calls
export CF_API_TOKEN="your-api-token"
export CF_ZONE_ID="your-zone-id"

# Get zone ID
curl -s -X GET "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result[] | {name, id}'

Token Verification

# Verify token is valid
curl -X GET "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/user/tokens/verify" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN"

Quick Reference

List DNS Records

# All records
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result[] | {name, type, content, proxied}'

# Filter by type
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records?type=A" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result[]'

# Search by name
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records?name=app.example.com" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result[]'

Create DNS Records

# A Record (proxied)
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "A",
    "name": "app",
    "content": "20.185.100.50",
    "ttl": 1,
    "proxied": true
  }'

# A Record (DNS-only)
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "A",
    "name": "mail",
    "content": "20.185.100.51",
    "ttl": 3600,
    "proxied": false
  }'

# CNAME Record
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "CNAME",
    "name": "www",
    "content": "app.example.com",
    "ttl": 1,
    "proxied": true
  }'

# TXT Record
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "TXT",
    "name": "_dmarc",
    "content": "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:[e-mail]",
    "ttl": 3600
  }'

# MX Record
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "MX",
    "name": "@",
    "content": "mail.example.com",
    "priority": 10,
    "ttl": 3600
  }'

Update DNS Records

# Get record ID first
RECORD_ID=$(curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records?name=app.example.com&type=A" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq -r '.result[0].id')

# Update record
curl -X PUT "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records/$RECORD_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "A",
    "name": "app",
    "content": "20.185.100.60",
    "ttl": 1,
    "proxied": true
  }'

# Patch (partial update)
curl -X PATCH "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records/$RECORD_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"proxied": false}'

Delete DNS Records

# Get record ID
RECORD_ID=$(curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records?name=old.example.com" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq -r '.result[0].id')

# Delete
curl -X DELETE "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records/$RECORD_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN"

Proxy Settings (Orange/Gray Cloud)

When to Enable Proxy (Orange Cloud)

Use Case	Proxy	Reason
Web applications	Yes	CDN, DDoS protection
REST APIs	Yes	Performance, security
Static websites	Yes	Caching, optimization
WebSockets	Yes	Supported with config

When to Disable Proxy (Gray Cloud)

Use Case	Proxy	Reason
Mail servers (MX)	No	SMTP not supported
SSH access	No	Non-HTTP protocol
FTP servers	No	Non-HTTP protocol
Custom TCP/UDP	No	Only HTTP/HTTPS proxied
VPN endpoints	No	Direct connection needed

Toggle Proxy via API

# Enable proxy
curl -X PATCH "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records/$RECORD_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"proxied": true}'

# Disable proxy
curl -X PATCH "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records/$RECORD_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"proxied": false}'

External-DNS Integration

Kubernetes Secret

kubectl create namespace external-dns

kubectl create secret generic cloudflare-api-token \
  --namespace external-dns \
  --from-literal=cloudflare_api_token="$CF_API_TOKEN"

Helm Values (kubernetes-sigs/external-dns)

fullnameOverride: external-dns

provider:
  name: cloudflare

env:
  - name: CF_API_TOKEN
    valueFrom:
      secretKeyRef:
        name: cloudflare-api-token
        key: cloudflare_api_token

extraArgs:
  cloudflare-proxied: true
  cloudflare-dns-records-per-page: 5000

sources:
  - service
  - ingress

domainFilters:
  - example.com

txtOwnerId: "aks-cluster-name"  # MUST be unique per cluster
txtPrefix: "_externaldns."
policy: upsert-only  # Production: NEVER use sync
interval: "5m"

logLevel: info
logFormat: json

resources:
  requests:
    memory: "64Mi"
    cpu: "25m"
  limits:
    memory: "128Mi"

serviceMonitor:
  enabled: true
  interval: 

Ingress Annotations

metadata:
  annotations:
    # Hostname for External-DNS
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: "app.example.com"

    # Custom TTL
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/ttl: "300"

    # Override proxy setting
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "true"

    # Multiple hostnames
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: "app.example.com,www.example.com"

Zone Management

List Zones

curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result[] | {name, id, status, plan: .plan.name}'

Get Zone Details

curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result'

Zone Settings

# Get all settings
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/settings" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result[] | {id, value}'

# Get specific setting
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/settings/ssl" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result'

# Update SSL mode
curl -X PATCH "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/settings/ssl" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"value": "full"}'

Export/Import DNS Records

Export (BIND Format)

curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records/export" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" > dns-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).txt

Import (BIND Format)

curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CF_ZONE_ID/dns_records/import" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" \
  -F "file=@dns-backup.txt"

Troubleshooting

DNS Verification

# Query Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1)
dig @1.1.1.1 app.example.com A
dig @1.1.1.1 app.example.com AAAA

# Check if proxied (returns Cloudflare IP)
dig +short app.example.com
# Proxied: 104.x.x.x or 172.64.x.x
# DNS-only: Your actual IP

# Check TXT records (External-DNS ownership)
dig @1.1.1.1 TXT _externaldns.app.example.com

# Full trace
dig +trace app.example.com

# Check nameservers
dig NS example.com +short

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
401 Unauthorized	Invalid token	Regenerate API token
403 Forbidden	Insufficient permissions	Add Zone:Read, DNS:Edit
429 Rate Limited	Too many requests	Increase interval, use pagination
Record exists	Duplicate	Delete or update existing record

External-DNS Logs

# Watch logs
kubectl logs -n external-dns deployment/external-dns -f

# Check for Cloudflare errors
kubectl logs -n external-dns deployment/external-dns | grep -i cloudflare

# Check sync status
kubectl logs -n external-dns deployment/external-dns | grep -i "All records are already up to date"

Security Best Practices

API Token Security

1. Scope tokens - Use specific zones, not "All zones"
2. IP filtering - Restrict to known IPs when possible
3. Rotate regularly - Every 90 days for production
4. Store securely - Kubernetes Secrets or Azure Key Vault
5. Audit usage - Check Cloudflare audit logs

Token Rotation

# 1. Create new token in Cloudflare dashboard

# 2. Update Kubernetes secret
kubectl create secret generic cloudflare-api-token \
  --namespace external-dns \
  --from-literal=cloudflare_api_token="NEW_TOKEN" \
  --dry-run=client -o yaml | kubectl apply -f -

# 3. Restart External-DNS
kubectl rollout restart deployment external-dns -n external-dns

# 4. Verify
kubectl logs -n external-dns deployment/external-dns | head -20

# 5. Revoke old token in Cloudflare dashboard

Rate Limits

Cloudflare API Limits:

• 1,200 requests per 5 minutes (per account)
• 100 requests per 5 minutes (per zone, for some endpoints)

Mitigation:

# External-DNS optimizations
extraArgs:
  cloudflare-dns-records-per-page: 5000  # Max pagination
  zone-id-filter: "specific-zone-id"     # Reduce API calls

interval: "10m"  # Less frequent polling

Azure Integration

cert-manager with Cloudflare DNS-01

apiVersion: cert-manager.io/v1
kind: ClusterIssuer
metadata:
  name: letsencrypt-cloudflare
spec:
  acme:
    server: https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory
    email: [e-mail]
    privateKeySecretRef:
      name: letsencrypt-cloudflare-key
    solvers:
      - dns01:
          cloudflare:
            apiTokenSecretRef:
              name: cloudflare-api-token
              key: api-token
        selector:
          dnsZones:
            - example.com

AKS Ingress Configuration

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: myapp
  annotations:
    cert-manager.io/cluster-issuer: letsencrypt-cloudflare
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "true"
spec:
  ingressClassName: nginx
  tls:
    - hosts:
        - app.example.com
      secretName: app-tls
  rules:
    - host: app.example.com
      http:
        paths:
          - path: /
            pathType: Prefix
            backend:
              service:
                name: myapp
                port:
                  number: 80

References

• references/api-reference.md - Complete Cloudflare DNS API documentation
• references/azure-integration.md - Azure-specific patterns and configurations
• scripts/cloudflare-dns.sh - Helper script for common operations
• Cloudflare API Documentation
• External-DNS Cloudflare Tutorial

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Gotchas

• Rate limits are per-API-token, not per-zone: A noisy External-DNS loop on token X exhausts the 1,200/5min budget for every zone that token touches. Split high-churn zones into a separate token to isolate blast radius.
• Proxied A records return Cloudflare IPs, not yours: dig +short app.example.com showing 104.x.x.x is correct, not broken. Origin reachability must be tested via Host header or directly against the Azure origin IP.
• TTL is ignored when proxied: Setting TTL on an orange-cloud record looks accepted but Cloudflare overrides it with "Auto" (=1). Disable proxy first if you genuinely need a specific TTL (e.g., DNS-01 cert flows).
• External-DNS txtOwnerId collisions corrupt records across clusters: Two clusters sharing the same txtOwnerId will fight over ownership TXT records and silently overwrite each other's A records. Always use a unique cluster identifier.
• policy: sync deletes records External-DNS didn't create: If a manual A record matches a managed hostname pattern, sync mode will delete it during reconciliation. Production must use upsert-only.
• Token verification endpoint returns 200 even with zero permissions: /user/tokens/verify confirms the token exists, not that it has Zone:Read or DNS:Edit. Test by listing actual zones to confirm permissions are scoped correctly.