Cloudflare isn’t just for websites — it’s also perfect for faster, safer file downloads.
Here’s how to use Cloudflare to optimize your downloads in minutes.
✅ 1. Enable Cloudflare on your domain
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Add your site to https://dash.cloudflare.com
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Update DNS to use Cloudflare nameservers
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Choose Free plan (enough for most use cases)
✅ 2. Turn on caching
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Caching → Custom rules
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Cache
.zip,.exe,.pdf,.mp4 -
Set long TTL (e.g., 1 week)
✅ Cloudflare will serve files from their global edge network.
✅ 3. Enable Brotli compression
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Speed → Optimization → Enable Brotli
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Reduces file sizes for faster delivery (especially text formats)
✅ Works better than Gzip in many cases.
✅ 4. Protect links with hotlink prevention
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Scrape Shield → Enable Hotlink Protection
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Stops other sites from stealing your files or bandwidth
✅ 5. Use Page Rules for better control
Example:
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*yourdomain.com/files/*→ Cache Everything -
Set Edge Cache TTL to 7 days
✅ Makes download delivery blazing fast.
Key points to remember
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Cloudflare = free speed + protection
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Enable caching for downloads
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Use Brotli + hotlink protection
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Page Rules give you full control