Cloudflare is an internet service that helps websites run faster, safer, and more reliably by acting as a content delivery network (CDN) and providing robust security features like protection against cyberattacks and malicious traffic.
What is Cloudflare?
Cloudflare is a global CDN and internet security platform that distributes website data across a network of servers to improve performance and defend sites against threats. It offers features like DDoS protection, a web application firewall (WAF), DNS management, SSL/TLS encryption, and load balancing. By serving content from edge servers closest to users, it makes website access faster and more secure.
Why Are You Being Blocked?
If you’re blocked by Cloudflare, it’s because the website’s security settings have flagged your connection as potentially risky or suspicious. Common reasons include:
- High-security settings: The website owner may have set strict rules, causing legitimate users to be challenged or blocked.
- Rate limiting: Making too many requests in a short time may look like a cyberattack or automated scraping.
- Browser or user-agent issues: Using outdated browsers, disabling cookies or JavaScript, or presenting a non-standard user agent can trigger a block.
- VPN or proxy usage: VPNs and proxies sometimes cause Cloudflare to flag traffic as suspicious since these tools can be used for malicious activity.
- IP address reputation: If your public IP address is linked to spam or malicious activity, or you share it with many users (as in carrier-grade NAT), Cloudflare may block you.
- Geographic or country blocking: Some site owners choose to restrict access from certain locations, so you may be blocked based on your country or region.
What Can You Do?
To resolve the issue:
- Refresh your browser or clear your cache.
- Update your browser and enable cookies and JavaScript.
- Disable VPN or proxy and connect directly.
- Contact the website owner for review if you cannot access the site and believe it’s an error.
Cloudflare blocks are designed to protect websites and their users; if blocked, it often means your connection matched a pattern flagged as risky or automated.
