How to use Cloudflare with DreamObjects

This article explains how to configure a DreamObjects bucket so that its content can be accelerated and protected using Cloudflare.

This configuration is NOT the same as the Cloudflare subscription options offered by DreamHost since it requires that the root domain use Cloudflare's nameservers.

This article assumes the following about your website configuration:

• Your domain is registered with DreamHost
• You have a DreamObjects account set up

Creating an account with Cloudflare can be done in two ways.

Create an account directly with Cloudflare

You can create directly with Cloudflare:

• https://www.cloudflare.com/

Create a Cloudflare account in your DreamHost panel

You could also create a Cloudflare account within your DreamHost panel. View the following articles for details:

• Cloudflare subscriptions

Make sure that when you're adding Cloudflare to your domain you specify that it is a "New Account".

Add your domain to your Cloudflare account. This assigns a pair of Cloudflare nameservers to the domain and allows you to manage your domain's DNS entries at Cloudflare. For more information about adding a domain to Cloudflare, see their documentation here:

• Add a domain to Cloudflare

During this process you'll see the nameservers Cloudflare assigns to your domain. They will appear like this:

Copy those nameservers as you'll need to change them in your DreamHost panel in the next step.

In your DreamHost account, update your domain registration's nameservers to point to Cloudflare. For more information about changing a domain's nameservers to Cloudflare, view the following articles:

• How do I change my nameservers? — DreamHost
• Change your domain name servers to Cloudflare — Cloudflare Support

Create a bucket and subdomain to use when accessing your content.

The name you give the bucket must be the same name you give your subdomain. This name must also be a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN). For example, if your new bucket is named mynewbucket.example.com, the DNS entry you create within the Cloudflare panel should be mynewbucket.example.com.

This example uses mycdn.example.com.

Create a bucket in your DreamObjects panel

Create a bucket named mycdn.example.com. View the following article for instructions on how to create a new bucket in your DreamObjects panel.

• DreamObjects buckets

if you have an existing bucket that you would like to use with this solution, you will need to "rename" the bucket by migrating its contents. View the following article for instruction on how to do that:

• Renaming a bucket using the panel migration tool

Create a CNAME record in your Cloudflare account

1. Log into your Cloudflare account.

   

2. Click the DNS button in the top menu.
3. You'll see several DNS fields below. Create a CNAME DNS record with the following settings. Make sure to change 'mycdn' to your bucket name and example.com to your actual domain name:

   

• Type: In the dropdown menu, select 'CNAME'
• Name: mycdn.example.com
• Domain name: mycdn.example.com.objects-us-east-1.dream.io

For more information about adding CNAME records in Cloudflare, see their documentation here:

• Configuring a CNAME setup

As soon as DNS information propagates, your bucket's content will be reachable using the subdomain record you created.