Cloudflare DNS Migration Guide

Prerequisites

• Access to GoDaddy account (freebeer.ai registrar)
• Access to SiteGround account (current DNS host)
• Email address for Cloudflare account
• Test domain for practice (optional but recommended)

Part 1: Practice with Test Domain (Optional)

Why Practice First?

• Gain confidence with the process
• Understand what happens during migration
• No risk to production freebeer.ai domain
• Can test DNS changes without affecting live sites

Part 2: Cloudflare Account Setup

Step 1: Create Cloudflare Account

1. Go to: https://dash.cloudflare.com/sign-up
2. Enter email address
3. Create password
4. Verify email (check inbox for verification link)
5. Log in to Cloudflare dashboard

Checkpoint: You should see empty Cloudflare dashboard with "Add a Site" button

Step 2: Add freebeer.ai Domain

1. Click "Add a Site" button
2. Enter domain: freebeer.ai
3. Click "Add site"
4. Choose plan: Free (scroll down, it's at the bottom)
5. Click "Continue"

Cloudflare will now scan your existing DNS records from SiteGround (~60 seconds).

Step 3: Review DNS Records

Cloudflare will display all DNS records it found. IMPORTANT: Review carefully!

Expected records for freebeer.ai:

Type: A
Name: @ (or freebeer.ai)
Content: [SiteGround IP address]
TTL: Auto

Type: CNAME
Name: www
Content: freebeer.ai
TTL: Auto

Type: CNAME
Name: dev
Content: cname.vercel-dns.com
TTL: Auto

Type: CNAME
Name: staging
Content: cname.vercel-dns.com
TTL: Auto

Type: CNAME
Name: app
Content: cname.vercel-dns.com
TTL: Auto

... (any other records you have)

What to do:

1. Review each record - make sure nothing is missing
2. Check the three Vercel CNAMEs are present (dev, staging, app)
3. If any records are missing, note them down
4. Click "Continue"

Step 4: Get Nameserver Information

Cloudflare will show you two nameservers to use. They'll look like:

bella.ns.cloudflare.com
kurt.ns.cloudflare.com

Part 3: Update Nameservers at GoDaddy

Step 5: Log into GoDaddy

1. Go to: https://www.godaddy.com
2. Log in to your account
3. Click "My Products"
4. Find freebeer.ai in your domain list
5. Click "DNS" or "Manage DNS"

Step 6: Change Nameservers

1. Scroll down to "Nameservers" section
2. Click "Change" or "Manage"
3. Select "Custom" or "Enter my own nameservers"

Current nameservers (SiteGround - you're replacing these):

ns1.siteground.com
ns2.siteground.com
(or similar)

New nameservers (Cloudflare - from Step 4):

bella.ns.cloudflare.com
kurt.ns.cloudflare.com
(use the exact names Cloudflare gave you)

4. Remove old SiteGround nameservers
5. Add new Cloudflare nameservers (both of them)
6. Click "Save"

Step 7: Confirm in Cloudflare

1. Go back to Cloudflare tab
2. Click "Done, check nameservers"

Expected result: One of two things will happen:

Option A: "Great! We detected your nameservers"

• Cloudflare immediately sees the change
• You're done! Skip to Step 8

Option B: "We haven't detected your nameservers yet"

• Normal! DNS propagation takes time
• Cloudflare will send you email when detected
• Continue to Step 8

Part 4: Wait for DNS Propagation

Step 8: Monitoring Propagation

What's happening:

• GoDaddy has updated nameservers
• DNS servers worldwide are caching old nameservers
• Takes 24-48 hours for all servers to see new nameservers

How to Check Progress

Method 1: Cloudflare Dashboard

• Log into Cloudflare
• Check freebeer.ai status
• Will show "Active" when fully migrated

Method 2: Command Line

# Check what nameservers are being returned
dig NS freebeer.ai

# Should eventually show:
# freebeer.ai.  86400  IN  NS  bella.ns.cloudflare.com.
# freebeer.ai.  86400  IN  NS  kurt.ns.cloudflare.com.

Method 3: Online Tool

• Visit: https://www.whatsmydns.net
• Enter: freebeer.ai
• Type: NS
• Check: Should see Cloudflare nameservers propagating globally

Timeline:

Step 9: Verify Existing Sites Still Work

After propagation completes (Cloudflare shows "Active"):

Test each of your existing sites:

# Test main domain
curl -I https://freebeer.ai
# Should return: 200 OK

# Test PAI Dashboard environments
curl -I https://dev.freebeer.ai
curl -I https://staging.freebeer.ai
curl -I https://app.freebeer.ai
# All should return: 200 OK

In browser: Visit each URL and confirm sites load normally.

Part 5: Cloudflare Configuration

Step 10: SSL/TLS Settings

1. Go to Cloudflare dashboard → freebeer.ai
2. Click "SSL/TLS" in left sidebar
3. Under "Overview", select: "Full (strict)"

Why: Your sites already have SSL from Vercel. This setting ensures Cloudflare's SSL works with Vercel's SSL.

Step 11: Enable Auto-Minify (Optional)

For better performance:

1. Go to: Speed → Optimization
2. Enable Auto Minify for:
   • JavaScript
   • CSS
   • HTML
3. Save

Step 12: Security Settings (Optional)

Default settings are fine, but you can enhance:

1. Go to: Security → Settings
2. Security Level: Medium (default)
3. Challenge Passage: 30 minutes (default)
4. Browser Integrity Check: ON (recommended)

Part 6: Get Cloudflare API Token

Step 13: Create API Token for Automation

This enables the automation script to manage DNS programmatically

1. Go to: Cloudflare Dashboard → Profile (top right)
2. Click "API Tokens"
3. Click "Create Token"
4. Find template: "Edit zone DNS"
5. Click "Use template"

Configure token:

• Permissions: Zone / DNS / Edit ✓
• Zone Resources:
  • Include / Specific zone / freebeer.ai
• IP Address Filtering: (leave blank for now)

6. Click "Continue to summary"
7. Review permissions
8. Click "Create Token"

Cloudflare API Token: [long string starting with underscore]

Save this token: You'll add it to your environment variables:

# Add to ~/.zshrc
export CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN="your_token_here"

Also get your Zone ID:

1. Go back to Cloudflare dashboard
2. Click on freebeer.ai domain
3. Scroll down on Overview page
4. Find "Zone ID" on the right side
5. Copy it

# Add to ~/.zshrc
export CLOUDFLARE_ZONE_ID="your_zone_id_here"

Part 7: Test API Access

Step 14: Verify API Token Works

# Source your .zshrc to load new variables
source ~/.zshrc

# Test API access
curl -X GET "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CLOUDFLARE_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Expected result: JSON response listing all your DNS records

Part 8: Add Client Subdomain Pattern (Test)

Step 15: Test Adding a Client Subdomain via API

Let's test the automation by adding a test client subdomain:

# Add a test dev subdomain
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CLOUDFLARE_ZONE_ID/dns_records" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "CNAME",
    "name": "test-client.dev",
    "content": "cname.vercel-dns.com",
    "ttl": 300,
    "proxied": false
  }'

Expected result: JSON response with "success": true

Verify in Cloudflare dashboard:

1. Go to: DNS → Records
2. Look for: test-client.dev CNAME record
3. Should point to: cname.vercel-dns.com

Test it works:

dig test-client.dev.freebeer.ai

# Should show:
# test-client.dev.freebeer.ai. 300 IN CNAME cname.vercel-dns.com.

Clean up the test record (via Cloudflare dashboard or API):

# List records to find the ID
curl -X GET "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CLOUDFLARE_ZONE_ID/dns_records?name=test-client.dev.freebeer.ai" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN"

# Delete using the record ID from response
curl -X DELETE "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/$CLOUDFLARE_ZONE_ID/dns_records/[RECORD_ID]" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN"

Completion Checklist

• Cloudflare account created
• freebeer.ai added to Cloudflare
• All DNS records reviewed and confirmed
• Nameservers updated at GoDaddy
• DNS propagation complete (24-48 hours)
• All existing sites verified working
• SSL/TLS set to "Full (strict)"
• API token created and saved
• Zone ID saved
• Environment variables added to ~/.zshrc
• API access tested successfully
• Test subdomain created and verified via API

Troubleshooting

"Sites not loading after migration"

Check:

1. DNS propagation complete? (use whatsmydns.net)
2. SSL mode set to "Full (strict)"? (Cloudflare dashboard)
3. All DNS records copied correctly? (compare SiteGround vs Cloudflare)

Fix: Wait longer (up to 48 hours) or clear browser cache

"API token not working"

Check:

1. Token copied correctly? (no extra spaces)
2. Zone ID correct?
3. Token has "Edit zone DNS" permission?

Fix: Create new token, ensure permissions are correct

"Cloudflare shows nameservers not detected"

Check:

1. Nameservers updated at GoDaddy? (check GoDaddy dashboard)
2. Correct Cloudflare nameservers used? (check Cloudflare setup page)

Fix: Wait 24-48 hours, Cloudflare checks periodically

Next Steps

Once Cloudflare migration is complete:

1. ✅ Phase 1 complete!
2. → Proceed to Phase 2: Create client template repository
3. → Build automation script that uses Cloudflare API