Question

How are Cloudflare's nameservers different from the DNS provided by Google DNS or OpenDNS? Can I delegate to Cloudflare nameservers while still using my host’s DNS?

Answer:

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to Cloudflare Support.

Cloudflare and Google DNS are DNS resolution services with distinct strengths. Cloudflare focuses on speed, security, and a global network, offering faster response times and robust protection against various threats, with built-in DDoS protection and DNSSEC support. Also, Cloudflare's DNS service comes bundled with a wide range of additional features, including DNS analytics, traffic management tools, and integration with Cloudflare's CDN and security services.

You can delegate DNS management to Cloudflare's nameservers, a partial (CNAME) setup allows you to use Cloudflare’s reverse proxy while maintaining your primary and authoritative DNS provider.

Please refer to DNS Zone Setups for more detailed information on Cloudflare’s DNS delegation.

If you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,
Ari Bovolente | Cloudflare Support

Thought Process:

I've researched Cloudflare's nameservers and other DNS providers and addressed the differences and possibilities with Cloudflare's DNS services. Then I provided steps and suggestions for configuring DNS delegation with Cloudflare nameservers and reassured the customer that further assistance is available if needed.

Tools:

Documentation Resources: For detailed information on DNS delegation and configuration options.

Network Diagnostic Tools: Such as Ping and Traceroute, to check the network path to Cloudflare nameservers, and Nslookup to query DNS records.

DNS Tools: Like DNS Checker to verify DNS records and propagation status globally.