🌐 Translation: Translated from Korean.

Domain Purchase and Cloudflare Free SSL Setup: Securing Security and Speed in One Go

This post is part 3 of the “Complete Premium WordPress Blog Setup Guide” series.

Series Structure:

1. Blog Starter Guide – Goal Setting and Tech Stack Selection
2. Complete Vultr VPS Setup Guide ← Previous
3. [Current Article] Domain + Cloudflare Setup
4. WordPress + Avada Theme Complete Setup (Next)

Securing Domain + CDN + SSL in 20 Minutes

In part 2, we created a Vultr VPS in the Seoul region and completed basic security configuration. Now we’ll set up a domain for accessing your blog, Cloudflare CDN for fast global performance, and HTTPS encryption as required by Google.

Why Set Up the Domain Before Installing WordPress?

1. Save DNS Propagation Time: DNS configuration takes 1-24 hours to propagate worldwide. Setting it up early means it’s ready when you install WordPress
2. SSL Certificate Preparation: Get your SSL certificate from Cloudflare in advance so HTTPS is immediately available when installing WordPress
3. Cloudflare CDN: Secure fast speeds from the start through 300+ global data centers

What You’ll Learn in This Guide:

• ✅ Domain registrar comparison and why we chose Namecheap
• ✅ 4-step domain purchase process ($10.98/year)
• ✅ Cloudflare free CDN + DDoS + SSL setup
• ✅ DNS nameserver change and propagation verification
• ✅ Connecting VPS via DNS A record

Estimated Time: 20 minutes (+ 1-2 hours DNS propagation wait)

1. Domain Registrar Comparison – Why Namecheap?

A domain is your blog’s address. Choosing the right registrar is important.

Major Domain Registrar Comparison

4 Reasons to Choose Namecheap

1. Price Competitiveness

First Year Cost:

• Namecheap: $10.98
• GoDaddy: $15-20 (40-50% more expensive)
• Cloudflare: $8-9 (cheapest but no new registrations)

Renewal Cost:

• Namecheap: $12.98/year
• GoDaddy: $20-25/year (almost double!)
• Cloudflare: $8-9/year

Conclusion: Namecheap is slightly more expensive than Cloudflare but allows new domain registration, making it optimal for your first blog.

2. Free WHOIS Protection

What is WHOIS?
When registering a domain, your personal information (name, email, phone number, address) is published in a public database. WHOIS protection hides this information.

Why WHOIS Protection Matters:

• Spam Prevention: Block email and phone spam
• Domain Scam Prevention: Stop fraudulent emails before domain expiration
• Privacy Protection: Prevent exposure of name and address

Cost Comparison:

• Namecheap: Free ✅
• GoDaddy: $10/year extra ❌
• Cloudflare: Free

3. Intuitive UI

Namecheap:

• Beginners can purchase a domain within 5 minutes
• Minimal unnecessary upselling (email, hosting, SSL, etc.)
• Simple DNS configuration

GoDaddy’s Issues:

• Aggressive upselling (dozens of options at checkout)
• Complex dashboard
• High renewal prices

4. Easy Integration with Cloudflare

Connecting a domain purchased from Namecheap to Cloudflare is very simple:

• Nameserver change: 2 minutes
• Automatic DNS record import
• Instant CDN + SSL activation

Cloudflare Registrar Limitations

Cloudflare has offered domain registration services since 2018, but:

• ❌ No new domain registration (transfer from other registrars only)
• ❌ Credit card required (no PayPal)
• ❌ 60-day lock period (can’t re-transfer for 60 days after transfer)

Conclusion: For your first blog, purchase from Namecheap → transfer to Cloudflare later (optional)

2. Purchasing a Domain from Namecheap (4 Steps)

Step 1: Domain Search

1. Visit https://namecheap.com
2. Enter your desired domain in the search box
   • Example: myblog.com
3. Check search results:
   • ✅ Available: Ready to purchase immediately
   • ❌ Taken: Already in use (check alternative suggestions)

Tips for Choosing a Good Domain

DO (Recommended):

• ✅ .com Priority: Best for SEO, credibility, and international recognition
• ✅ Shorter is Better: 10 characters or less recommended
• ✅ Easy to Remember: Use easy-to-pronounce words
• ✅ Brandable: Unique and memorable name

DON’T (Avoid):

• ❌ Numbers: myblog123.com
• ❌ Hyphens: my-blog.com
• ❌ Non-Latin characters: Limited international scalability
• ❌ Too Long: myawesomepersonalblog.com

Step 2: Add to Cart and Select Options

When you add a domain to your cart, you’ll see an additional options selection screen.

Required Options (Must Enable)

• ✅ WhoisGuard (WHOIS Protection): Free, must enable ✅
• ✅ Auto-Renew: Enable (prevents domain expiration)

Unnecessary Options (Decline All)

• ❌ PremiumDNS ($4.88/year): We’ll use Cloudflare’s free DNS
• ❌ Email Hosting ($9.88/year): Gmail’s free tier is sufficient
• ❌ SSL Certificate ($8.88/year): We’ll use Cloudflare’s free SSL
• ❌ Domain Privacy ($0 – already included with WhoisGuard)

Registration Period Selection

Recommendation: 1-year registration then extend as needed. Start your blog and decide later.

Step 3: Create Account and Payment

1. Create Namecheap Account

   • Enter email address and password
   • Email verification (check inbox)

2. Enter Payment Information

   • Select credit card or PayPal
   • Enter billing address (Korean OK, English recommended)

3. Complete Order

   • Click “Confirm Order”
   • Receive order confirmation email

Total Cost: $10.98 (first year .com domain)

Step 4: Verify Domain

1. Namecheap dashboard → Domain List
2. Check purchased domain status: “Active” ✅
3. Verify WHOIS protection: “Enabled” ✅

Checkpoint

Verify you’ve completed these tasks:

• Domain purchase complete (e.g., myblog.com)
• WHOIS protection enabled confirmed
• Auto-renewal configured confirmed

3. Creating Cloudflare Account and Connecting Domain (5 Steps)

What is Cloudflare?

Cloudflare is a CDN and security service operating 300+ data centers worldwide.

Services Included in Free Plan

• CDN (Content Delivery Network): Fast content delivery to global users
• DDoS Protection: Unlimited DDoS attack defense
• SSL/TLS Encryption: Free SSL certificate
• DNS Management: Ultra-fast DNS (1.1.1.1)
• Web Application Firewall (WAF): Basic firewall

Paid Plans (Reference)

• Pro: $20/month (advanced WAF, image optimization)
• Business: $200/month (priority support, advanced DDoS)

Conclusion: Free plan is sufficient! My blog beomanro.com also uses the Free plan and handles 5,000 monthly visitors without issues.

Step 1: Create Cloudflare Account

1. Visit https://cloudflare.com
2. Click “Sign Up” in the top right
3. Enter email address and password
4. Complete email verification

Step 2: Add Site

1. Click “Add a Site” button in the dashboard
2. Enter domain (e.g., myblog.com)
3. Click “Add Site”

Step 3: Select Plan

1. Select Free plan ($0/month) ✅
2. Click “Continue”

Step 4: DNS Record Scan

Cloudflare automatically scans existing DNS records.

• No records for a new domain (normal)
• Click “Continue”

Step 5: Verify Nameservers

Cloudflare displays 2 nameservers:

abcd.ns.cloudflare.com
efgh.ns.cloudflare.com

(Actual nameservers vary per account)

Important: Copy these 2 nameservers! You’ll need to enter them in Namecheap in the next section.

Checkpoint

Verify you’ve completed these tasks:

• Cloudflare account creation complete
• Domain added (e.g., myblog.com)
• Free plan selected
• 2 nameservers copied

4. Changing Nameservers and Verifying DNS Propagation

Step 1: Change Nameservers in Namecheap

1. Namecheap dashboard → Domain List
2. Click “Manage” button next to domain
3. Find “Nameservers” section
4. Select “Custom DNS” from dropdown
5. Enter 2 Cloudflare nameservers:

   Nameserver 1: abcd.ns.cloudflare.com
   Nameserver 2: efgh.ns.cloudflare.com
   

6. Click ✅ checkmark button (save)

Step 2: Wait for DNS Propagation

After changing nameservers, DNS propagation takes time:

• Fastest: 5-10 minutes
• Average: 1-2 hours
• Maximum: 24 hours (very rare)

How to Verify DNS Propagation

Method 1: dig Command (Mac/Linux)

dig myblog.com NS

# Expected output:
# ;; ANSWER SECTION:
# myblog.com.  3600  IN  NS  abcd.ns.cloudflare.com.
# myblog.com.  3600  IN  NS  efgh.ns.cloudflare.com.

Method 2: nslookup Command (Windows)

nslookup -type=NS myblog.com

# Check for Cloudflare nameservers in output

Method 3: Online Tools

• Visit https://dnschecker.org
• Enter domain → Select NS record → Click Check
• Verify Cloudflare nameservers from DNS servers worldwide

Step 3: Verify in Cloudflare

1. Cloudflare dashboard → Overview
2. Check Status:
   • ⏳ Pending Nameserver Update: Waiting for DNS propagation
   • ✅ Active: Complete! Cloudflare is now active

Cloudflare will send an email when DNS propagation is complete.

Checkpoint

Verify you’ve completed these tasks:

• Nameserver change in Namecheap complete
• DNS propagation verified (dig or dnschecker.org)
• Cloudflare status “Active” confirmed

5. SSL/TLS Mode Configuration and DNS A Record

SSL/TLS Mode Configuration

HTTPS encryption is essential for Google SEO and increases user trust.

4 Cloudflare SSL Modes

1. Off: No encryption (never use!) ❌
2. Flexible: Only User ↔ Cloudflare encrypted (not recommended) ⚠️
3. Full: Two-way encryption, allows self-signed certificates
4. Full (strict): Two-way encryption, requires valid certificate ✅ Recommended

Configure Full (strict) Mode

1. Cloudflare dashboard → SSL/TLS
2. Overview → Encryption mode
3. Select “Full (strict)” ✅

⚠️ Note: It’s okay if your VPS doesn’t have an SSL certificate yet!

• In the next post (Post 4), we’ll create a Cloudflare Origin Certificate and install it on the VPS
• For now, just select the mode

DNS A Record Configuration (Connect VPS IP)

Now for the most important step – connecting your domain to your VPS.

Step 1: Verify VPS IP Address

1. Vultr dashboard → Select server
2. Copy IP Address (e.g., 123.456.78.90)

Step 2: Add Cloudflare A Record

1. Cloudflare → DNS → Records
2. Click “Add record” button
3. Configure as follows:
   • Type: A
   • Name: @ (root domain, myblog.com)
   • IPv4 address: Enter VPS IP address
   • Proxy status: ☁️ Proxied (orange cloud) ✅
   • TTL: Auto
4. Click “Save”

Step 3: Add www Subdomain (Optional)

Add a CNAME record so www.myblog.com also works:

1. Click “Add record” again
2. Configure as follows:
   • Type: CNAME
   • Name: www
   • Target: @ (or myblog.com)
   • Proxy status: ☁️ Proxied
3. Click “Save”

Proxied vs DNS Only

When adding a DNS A record, you must choose Proxy status:

☁️ Proxied (Recommended) ✅

• Cloudflare CDN enabled
• DDoS protection enabled
• Real VPS IP hidden (enhanced security)
• SSL/TLS applied
• Content distributed from 300+ servers worldwide

🔗 DNS Only

• Cloudflare CDN disabled
• Real VPS IP exposed
• Direct connection (slightly slower without CDN)

Conclusion: Always use Proxied mode! ☁️

Verify DNS A Record Propagation

# Check VPS IP
dig myblog.com A

# Expected output:
# ;; ANSWER SECTION:
# myblog.com.  300  IN  A  104.21.xxx.xxx
# (Shows Cloudflare IP - this is normal in Proxied mode)

# Test actual connection
ping myblog.com
# Success if responding with Cloudflare IP!

Checkpoint

Verify you’ve completed these tasks:

• SSL/TLS mode set to “Full (strict)”
• DNS A record added (@ → VPS IP)
• Proxy status “Proxied” (☁️ orange cloud) confirmed
• www CNAME record added (optional)
• A record propagation verified with dig

Wrap-Up: What We’ve Accomplished

Congratulations! 🎉 You’ve perfectly configured domain + CDN + SSL in just 20 minutes.

Completed Tasks

• ✅ Purchased domain from Namecheap ($10.98/year)
• ✅ Enabled WHOIS protection (privacy protection)
• ✅ Configured Cloudflare free CDN + DDoS protection
• ✅ Set SSL/TLS mode to “Full (strict)”
• ✅ Connected VPS via DNS A record

Domain Ready!

All preparations for installing WordPress are now complete. While DNS propagation completes (1-2 hours), take a break or preview the next post.

Next Step: WordPress + Avada Theme Complete Setup

What You’ll Learn in Part 4 (Final):

• WordOps One-Liner Installation: WordPress automation tool (EasyEngine successor)
• WordPress Site Creation: wo site create myblog.com --wp --redis
• Redis Caching Explanation: FastCGI vs Object Cache differences (10x speed!)
• Cloudflare Origin Certificate: Create 15-year SSL certificate and configure Nginx
• Avada Theme Installation: ThemeForest #1, includes Fusion Builder ($60, lifetime license)
• Performance Optimization: Achieve PageSpeed 90+ score
• beomanro.com Configuration Sharing: All settings from an actual production blog

Proceed After DNS Propagation Completes

Pre-work checklist:

• DNS propagation complete (wait 1-2 hours)
• Cloudflare status “Active” confirmed
• VPS SSH access working: ssh root@VPS_IP
• ping myblog.com responding confirmed

Once DNS propagation is complete, proceed directly to Part 4!

Cost Summary (Through Series Part 3)

Next Post Additional Cost: Avada Theme $60 (one-time, lifetime license)
Final Total Cost: $70.98

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View Full Series:

1. Blog Starter Guide – Goal Setting and Tech Stack Selection
2. Complete Vultr VPS Setup Guide
3. [Current Article] Domain + Cloudflare Setup ← Complete
4. WordPress + Avada Theme Complete Setup (Next, Final)