RunCache offers enterprise-level performance by combining the power of WordPress and Cloudflare. This integration provides Full Page Caching via Cloudflare’s global CDN, with automatic cache management that ensures your content is always fast and fresh.

Cloudflare Full Page Cache vs. Asset CDN

It’s important to understand how this feature differs from a traditional CDN:

  • Asset CDN: Typically offloads only “heavy” files, such as images, CSS, and JavaScript. While this helps, your website’s actual content (the HTML) is still loaded from your origin server.
  • Cloudflare Full Page Cache: This caches your entire website at the “edge” (Cloudflare’s servers). When a visitor arrives, Cloudflare serves the complete page instantly without even checking your server.

Can I use both? Yes! You can use Cloudflare Full Page Cache alongside an asset CDN for maximum performance. While Cloudflare handles the page delivery, an asset CDN can further optimize how your images and scripts are distributed.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure:

  1. The RunCache plugin is installed and activated on your WordPress site.
  2. Your domain’s DNS is managed by Cloudflare.

Step 1: Create a Secure Cloudflare API Token

To allow RunCache to manage your cache automatically, you need to generate a secure “Custom Token.” This is safer than using your master password (Global API Key).

1. Access API Settings

  • Log in to your Cloudflare Dashboard.
  • Click the Manage Account in the left menu and select Account API Tokens.
  • Click the blue Create Token button.

2. Configure a Custom Token

  1. Scroll to the bottom and click Get Started next to Create Custom Token.
  2. Token Name: Give your token a clear name, such as “RunCache Full Page Cache”.
  3. Permissions: You must add the following three specific permissions for the plugin to work:
    • Zone: Cache Rules: Edit
    • Zone: Cache Purge: Purge
    • Zone: Zone: Read
  4. Zone Resources: Under “Include,” select “Specific zone”, then choose the domain you are setting up.
  5. Click Continue to Summary and then Create Token.
  1. Save your Token and copy the API Token shown on the screen immediately. Cloudflare will only show this code once for security reasons. 

Step 2: Enable the “Orange Cloud” (Proxy)

For Cloudflare to cache your pages, your traffic must pass through their network.

  1. Navigate to the DNS tab in your Cloudflare dashboard.
  2. Look for your main website records (usually the A record or CNAME for your domain).
  3. Ensure the Proxy Status is set to Proxied (indicated by an Orange Cloud icon). If it’s gray, Cloudflare is bypassed, and caching will not work.

Step 3: Connecting RunCache to Cloudflare

Now that you have your token, you can activate the integration inside WordPress.

  1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.
  2. Go to RunCache in the sidebar menu.
  3. Click on the Full Page Cache tab.
  4. Locate the Cloudflare option and select it.
  5. Paste your API Token into the provided field.
  6. Click Save Settings.

Once enabled, RunCache and Cloudflare will work together automatically:

  • Automatic Purging: Whenever you update a post or page in WordPress, RunCache sends a signal to Cloudflare to clear the cache for that specific URL. Your visitors will always see the latest version of your site.
  • Edge Delivery: Your website’s HTML is stored on hundreds of Cloudflare servers worldwide. A visitor in London will load your site from a London server, while a visitor in Tokyo loads it from Tokyo.
  • Reduced Server Load: Because Cloudflare handles the requests, your RunCloud server has much less work to do, allowing it to handle significantly more traffic without slowing down.

If you have any other questions or need help – please feel free to get in touch with our 24/7 support team. We’re here to help!