[intro]In this guide, you’ll learn how to set up a free Cloudflare account for your EKM online shop. [/intro]

Cloudflare is a security and performance layer for your EKM online shop. It helps defend against malicious traffic, including bot attacks, DDoS attempts, and suspicious login activity. These threats can slow down your store or interrupt sales. With Cloudflare’s powerful tools, your website is automatically monitored and protected without any technical fuss.

Beyond security, Cloudflare also boosts performance by caching your content and using its global network to load your EKM online shop faster, which is especially helpful for customers shopping from different locations. Even if your EKM online shop already includes basic protection, pairing it with a Cloudflare account gives you extra control, visibility, and confidence. From firewall rules and rate limiting to bot mitigation and downtime alerts, it’s an easy win for a safer, faster, and more resilient online shop.

1. To begin, click here and then click the orange sign-up button:

2. You’ll then need to create an account by selecting the Apple or Google buttons, or by adding in a specific email and password to the fields provided, before clicking the blue sign-up button:

3. You’ll be redirected to your Cloudflare dashboard when you create your account. Paste in the URL of your EKM online shop into the field provided, and then click the blue Continue button:

4. On the next page, click Select Plan for the free option:

5. Now you need to scroll down and click the Continue button in the bottom left-hand corner:

Updating Your Nameservers

[remember]If your domain is not hosted with EKM Domains, you will need to log into the account of the third party that provides your domain to update your Nameservers. [/remember]

6. In a separate browser tab, log in to the back end of your EKM online shop and click Settings:

7. Then you need to click Domain Name on the top left-hand side:

8. Scroll down to the EKM Domains element, and click Log In:

9. Within your EKM Domains account, click the Domains icon at the top of the dashboard:

10. Click the Domain button on the far right-hand side:

11. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click Nameservers:

12. On this page, you need to tick the box to Specify Nameservers:

13. Return to the browser tab displaying your Cloudflare account and click the link to copy the first address:

14. Paste this into the first field within your EKM Domains account:

15. Repeat this process with the second address:

16. When you have added both addresses, click the Save button in the bottom right-hand corner:

[remember]All changes made to domain name settings - regardless of the provider - will always require time for the changes to take effect. After making changes to a domain, please allow between 12 and 36 hours to propagate.[/remember]

17. Return to the browser tab displaying Cloudflare and click the blue Continue button at the bottom of the page:

18. Click the button at the bottom of the page:

19. You’ll then see this notification:

Checking your SSL Certificate

20. On the left-hand menu, click SSL/TLS:

21. On this page, ensure that the current applied mode is Full:

22. Now that you have opened and configured your Cloudflare account, after propagation has finished, you will have another level of protection on your EKM online shop. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to open a Cloudflare account?

While the EKM platform is already protected with its own firewall and other security measures, you will be able to tailor your Cloudflare account to suit your shop's needs, especially if your shop experiences high traffic. Whilst the EKM platform is already protected with its own firewall and other security measures, you can tailor your Cloudflare account to suit your shop's needs, especially if your shop experiences high traffic. 

Does this mean Cloudflare will be supplying my SSL Certificate instead of EKM?

Yes, as your domain name will be routed through Cloudflare, Cloudflare will protect your domain with its own SSL. 

Will making these changes cause any downtime for my EKM online shop?

While we or Cloudflare cannot guarantee no downtime, it is possible to achieve minimal to no downtime if done correctly. The primary factor affecting downtime is DNS propagation, which can take a few minutes to a couple of hours. By ensuring that DNS records are accurate and adhering to Cloudflare's recommendations, downtime can be minimised, potentially to just a few seconds.

[more]

• Transferring your Domain to EKM Domains
• Setting up EKM Email
• Transfer or Point? Domain Basics

[/more]

[contact]If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Ecommerce Expert, Account Manager, or the Customer Support Team, who can point you in the right direction. Our opening hours are 9 am - 5.30 pm Monday to Friday, for telephone calls, live chats, and emails. Over the weekends, we're open from 9 am - 5.30 pm, both Saturday and Sunday, to answer emails and live chat, which you can access from the Dashboard of your EKM online shop. Outside these hours, you can leave a message for us in the live chat window or email support@ekm.com, and we will answer as soon as possible.

If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions Board. If you have a non-account-specific question to ask the EKM Team, join us in the EKM Community. [/contact]