If you're setting up your white-label booking engine or publishing your website using the RoomRaccoon Website Builder, you might need to create a Cloudflare account to manage your DNS.
Do I need to use Cloudflare?
Answer:
We always recommend using Cloudflare because it gates the RoomRaccoon booking engine against security risks.
Using your existing domain registrar for DNS management can sometimes result in SSL certificate issues for subdomains, leading to the error: ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH.
This error prevents guests from accessing the booking engine.
While each registrar has different packages and mechanisms, some allow you to purchase a wildcard SSL certificate for the subdomain you would like to create for your booking engine or website.
However, if you would like to setup your subdomain for free, you can switch to Cloudflare, where all your subdomains will be automatically covered by an SSL.
Transferring your DNS management to Cloudflare means you will set up your website/domain rules within Cloudflare while keeping your domain registered with your original registrar (e.g., GoDaddy). You will continue paying your domain fees to your registrar, but all DNS mapping will be done via Cloudflare. This process is free and involves changing your nameservers to the custom nameservers provided by Cloudflare when you create a free account.
Steps to Create a Cloudflare Account
Some domain registrars do not support adding a CNAME record to top-level custom domains. In this case, we recommend creating a free Cloudflare account and following these steps:
Click here to go to CloudFlare.
On the top right, click Sign Up.
On the Free card, click "Add a website".
Insert an email & secure password.
Click Sign Up.
Select the Free Plan at the bottom.
Click "Add a website" and insert your custom domain name and continue to allow Cloudflare to import your existing domain records.
Cloudflare will then provide you with two custom Nameservers. To transfer your domain management to Cloudflare, you will need to adjust your registrar nameservers to reflect the Cloudflare nameservers.
Click here to follow these steps to update your nameservers to Cloudflare.
By following these steps, you'll ensure that your booking engine runs smoothly and securely, avoiding common issues related to SSL certificates and DNS management.
GOOD TO KNOW - MX Records
When you purchased your domain, you may have also purchased a webmail service from the registrar. This service allows you to receive and send emails using the domain as a mail slug (for example: support@roomraccoon.com). This means that your DNS records will contain MX records.
If you have existing MX (mail) records with your registrar, the records may sometimes be incorrectly ported through to Cloudflare when the nameservers are changed. If you are struggling to send or receive emails after you have transferred your nameservers to cloudflare, this may be the case.
Always take a screenshot of your DNS records before you change the nameservers to Cloudflare to check that all records are intact. If you find that you cannot send or receive mails, it is advised to submit the following question to your registrar:
"We are have to be transferred our DNS management to CloudFlare. We have be updated our nameservers to CloudFlare. Please provide us with the exact records that we need in our CloudFlare account (including the IP target) to maintain our web mail servers (MX records)."
Make sure your Cloudlfare DNS records reflect the exact MX records that the registrar provides you with.
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