Cloudflare Pro is a sensible first layer of protection for an online store. It puts a web application firewall with managed rules, DDoS protection, bot controls, SSL and a CDN between your shoppers and your server, which blocks many common attacks and can make product pages load faster. It does not replace secure store software, updated plugins, safe payment handling or backups, so treat it as one layer of a wider plan.
Why online stores are attractive targets
An online store has more moving parts than a brochure site: customer accounts, a product database, a cart, a checkout, payment integrations, forms and often an API. Each is a possible way in. Common problems include:
- Credential stuffing: bots trying stolen passwords against customer and admin logins.
- Vulnerability scanning: automated tools looking for outdated plugins and extensions.
- Card testing: bots using the checkout to test stolen card numbers.
- Scraping: bots copying prices and product data, adding load to your server.
- DDoS and traffic floods: enough requests to make the store stop responding, often at the busiest time.
- Injected scripts: malicious code added to checkout pages to capture payment details.
What Cloudflare Pro adds for a store
Every Cloudflare plan, including the free one, routes your traffic through Cloudflare’s network and absorbs DDoS attacks. Pro goes further:
Managed firewall rules
Pro turns on Cloudflare’s managed ruleset and the OWASP core ruleset. These block requests that match known attack patterns, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting, before they reach your store software.
Stronger bot controls
Pro gives you more control over automated traffic, which helps against login attacks, card testing and aggressive scraping. You can also add rate limits and challenges on sensitive paths such as the login and checkout.
Faster product pages
Cloudflare caches images, scripts and style sheets in data centres near your shoppers, including Harare. Pro adds image optimisation, which makes product photos lighter, a real benefit for shoppers on mobile data.
SSL handled at the edge
Cloudflare serves your store over HTTPS. Use the Full (strict) SSL mode with a valid certificate on your server, so traffic is encrypted all the way, not just between the shopper and Cloudflare.
Setting up Cloudflare for an online store
- Copy your DNS records carefully, including email records, before pointing your domain through Cloudflare.
- Set SSL to Full (strict) and confirm the certificate on your server is valid.
- Do not cache personal pages. Cart, checkout, my-account and admin pages must bypass the cache, or one shopper could see another’s session. WooCommerce and most platforms set cookies that should trigger a bypass; check your rules.
- Protect logins and checkout with rate limiting or bot challenges.
- Allow your payment gateway’s callbacks. Gateways send payment confirmations back to your store. Make sure firewall rules do not block them, or orders will not update.
- Test a full order from product page to payment confirmation after every major change.
- Restrict direct access to your server where possible, so attackers cannot bypass Cloudflare by using your server’s IP address.
What Cloudflare Pro does not do
- It does not patch your store. An outdated plugin or extension is still vulnerable. Keep your platform updated.
- It does not make you PCI compliant on its own. Card-data rules depend on how you take payments. Using a hosted payment page or a gateway that handles card details reduces what your store has to protect.
- It does not back up your data. Keep daily backups of files and the database, stored away from the server.
- It does not configure itself. Wrong cache or firewall rules can break checkouts. Someone needs to set it up and watch it.
Pro or Business for your store?
Cloudflare Pro suits most small and growing stores. Larger stores, or those for which a day offline would be costly, may need the Business plan, which offers more advanced rules and support. Tremhost offers both as managed services:
- Armor Guard is Cloudflare Pro, set up and monitored by Tremhost, for $9 a month or $90 a year per site. Cloudflare Pro bought directly is $25 a month billed monthly, without anyone configuring it for you.
- Armor Shield is Cloudflare Business for sites that take payments or hold client data, with rules written for your application and malware cleanup and delisting included. It costs $200 a month per site.
Both work on any host. You can try Cloudflare Pro or Business free for 15 days, with no card needed.
Other layers your store needs
- Strong, unique admin passwords and two-factor authentication.
- Regular updates for the store platform, theme and extensions.
- Malware scanning on the server.
- Daily backups with a tested restore.
- Email authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) so order emails reach customers and cannot easily be spoofed.
If you would rather have the whole store run for you, Tremhost managed e-commerce sets up, secures and manages WooCommerce, Shopify or Magento stores, with Paynow configured, from $1,000 a year.
Frequently asked questions
Will Cloudflare slow down my checkout?
Not when it is set up correctly. Checkout pages bypass the cache and pass straight through to your server after security checks. Product and category pages often load faster.
Can I use Cloudflare with WooCommerce?
Yes. Make sure cart, checkout and account pages are not cached, and that your payment gateway’s callbacks are allowed through the firewall.
Is the free Cloudflare plan enough for an online store?
It is much better than nothing and includes DDoS protection. Pro adds managed firewall rules, stronger bot controls and image optimisation, which matter more once you take orders online.
Do I have to move my hosting?
No. Cloudflare works in front of any host. Only your DNS changes.
Next step
Put your store behind Cloudflare Pro with Armor Guard, or start the free 15-day trial and see it on your real traffic first.
