Cloudflare Migration
Migrate to Cloudflare without the downtime drama
Who this is for
- Teams moving off Akamai / Imperva / Fastly / CloudFront
- Sites adopting Cloudflare for the first time
- Multi-domain estates consolidating onto Cloudflare
- Anyone nervous about a DNS/CDN cutover
Problems we solve
Why migrations go wrong — and how we de-risk them
Fear of downtime during the move
Migrations are risky when DNS, certificates and rules are changed in one big bang. We stage it to keep risk low.
Leaving an expensive incumbent
Moving off Akamai, Imperva, Fastly or CloudFront means re-creating rules and cache behaviour accurately — not just flipping DNS.
Origin exposed during cutover
A sloppy migration can leak your origin IP. We plan origin protection as part of the cutover, not after.
Forgotten records break email
Missing SPF/DKIM/MX records during a DNS move breaks email and integrations. We diff the full zone.
No rollback if something breaks
Without lowered TTLs and a tested rollback, a problem becomes an outage. We prepare both up front.
Inherited setup nobody documented
We audit and document the current configuration so the migration is based on facts, not guesswork.
What's included
What a Cloudflare migration covers
A complete, documented cutover — not just flipping nameservers and hoping.
Current-setup audit
We document your existing DNS, CDN/WAF rules, certificates, origins and dependencies before touching anything.
DNS import & verification
Import every record accurately, diff against the source zone, and catch the records teams usually forget (mail, SPF/DKIM, subdomains).
TTL lowering
Lower DNS TTLs ahead of the cutover so we can move traffic — and roll back — fast if needed.
SSL/TLS & DNSSEC planning
Certificate strategy, full-strict TLS, origin certs and a DNSSEC plan so HTTPS never breaks during the move.
Rule & cache parity
Recreate WAF, redirects, rate limits and cache behaviour from your old provider so nothing silently changes.
Staged cutover
Move low-risk hostnames first, then a weighted/CNAME cutover of production with monitoring at each step.
Post-cutover validation
Validate checkout, APIs, mail and key flows after the move, and watch error rates and performance.
Rollback plan
A documented, tested rollback so a surprise can be reversed quickly rather than improvised.
How it works
A staged migration runbook
Every step is planned, monitored and reversible.
- 1
1. Audit & plan
We map your current DNS, CDN/WAF, certificates and origins, agree the target Cloudflare design, and write a cutover and rollback runbook.
- 2
2. Prepare
Build the Cloudflare zone, import and verify DNS, recreate rules/cache parity, plan TLS/DNSSEC, and lower TTLs ahead of go-live.
- 3
3. Staged cutover
Move low-risk hostnames first, then a weighted/CNAME cutover of production — watching traffic, errors and performance at each step.
- 4
4. Validate & harden
Confirm checkout, APIs, mail and key flows, lock down origin exposure, remove the old provider safely and document the new setup.
Scope
What is and isn’t included
What is included
- Audit of current DNS, CDN/WAF, TLS and origins
- DNS import, full-zone diff and verification
- TTL lowering and a tested rollback plan
- Rule, redirect and cache parity from the old provider
- Staged cutover with monitoring and validation
- Origin protection as part of the move
What is not included
- A literal zero-impact guarantee (DNS propagation is outside our control)
- Application code changes or re-platforming
- Hosting, server or database migration
- Ongoing management (that’s managed care)
When you need this
- You’re leaving an expensive or limiting CDN/WAF
- You’re adopting Cloudflare and can’t risk downtime
- A previous DNS change caused an outage
- You’re consolidating multiple domains onto Cloudflare
- You want origin protection done right from day one
When Cloudflare is not enough
A migration moves you onto a strong edge, but Cloudflare is one layer. It does not replace:
- Secure development, code review and timely patching of your application and plugins.
- Backups, disaster recovery and a tested restore process.
- A dedicated anti-fraud, chargeback or payment-risk platform.
- Hosting, database administration and origin server maintenance.
- Full incident response and forensics for large or regulated enterprises.
What Cloudflare can and cannot do
Related services
Before, during and after the migration
Frequently asked questions
Can you migrate us to Cloudflare without downtime?
Can you migrate us from Akamai, Imperva, Fastly or CloudFront?
How long does a Cloudflare migration take?
Will our email and integrations keep working?
What if something goes wrong during cutover?
How this project is scoped — no hourly meter
Fixed scope, fixed timeline — priced by deliverable against an agreed Statement of Work, not by an hourly meter. Typically 2–4 weeks, delivered remotely.
What's included
- Discovery & kick-off call to confirm goals and scope
- Architecture & configuration review
- Cloudflare setup for the agreed scope: DNS, SSL/TLS, WAF baseline, caching/performance and the products in your plan
- Validation and a supervised go-live
- Handover pack: runbook, configuration documentation and a team walkthrough
- A 14-day post-go-live support window for fixes to what we configured
Not included (quoted separately)
- Non-Cloudflare work (application/backend changes, third-party security tools)
- Additional domains/zones beyond the agreed scope
- Ongoing monthly management (that is a Care plan)
- Anything not in the Statement of Work — handled as a separately quoted change order
Indicative “from” prices are a starting point. Your final price is confirmed in a written proposal after a free scoping call, and depends on the number of zones, the Cloudflare products in scope and environment complexity.
Move to Cloudflare the safe way
Get a staged migration plan with TTL lowering, rule parity and a tested rollback — so the cutover is calm, not chaotic.