Cloudflare

After years of using a free Google Workspace account, and after ups and downs with it, due to Google’s decision to kill it and then keep it alive, I decided to move my emails and other files back to my personal Gmail account.

My main reason for using Google Workspace was the ability to use my domain across Google services, mainly concentrating on the ability to send and receive emails within my domain, but still using the Gmail interface.

After extensive work I had done to move my data from Google Workspace back to my Gmail account, I set up an option for me to receive and send emails within my domain.

Cloudflare’s DNS service, known as 1.1.1.1, has transformed the internet for the better and continues to make a significant impact every day.

From setting DNS on your device to installing the dedicated app for using WARP technology, you can make your connections faster by choosing optimised routes for traffic.

If you are an advanced user, you can secure your entire network at home or in the workplace by implementing Cloudflare technology at your router.

For some users, this may feel too overwhelming.

Windows 11 introduced built-in integration for Secured DNS (Encrypted) that can be implemented at the interface level (your network card, whether wired or wireless). Thanks to this, all the DNS requests going through it will be encrypted.

Thanks to Cloudflare Email Routing, I can accept and send emails in my domain, but still manage them on my ordinary Gmail account. This all is set as I wrote down in my post titled Email in your own domain with Cloudflare (and Gmail)

Over the last week, I faced an issue with emails not being delivered to my mailbox.

Firstly I thought that there was something wrong with Gmail service blocking forwarded messages. The same though had plenty of people using this service and writing their experiences all over the internet.

Cloudflare, let’s be honest, is an incredibly generous organization, offering a range of services that we rarely have to pay for. Individuals, families, small or medium-sized businesses can use their technology without having to spend money unless they need to.

Among the range of services, DNS servers (1.1.1.1) and DNS encryption service deserve recognition. In combination with their software available on a range of platforms, not only can we speed up our internet surfing, but we can also increase our security.

OpenWrt on the other hand is an incredible software designed to increase the security of our network device, which is the router, and also adds the ability to expand the capabilities of our hardware.

By combining Cloudflare with OpenWrt software and an additional software package, we can introduce Secure DNS to our network, which I wrote about some time ago.

Moreover, when we need to access our local network resources from anywhere in the world, we can use the Cloudflare Zero Trust service by creating a secure tunnel.

Zero Trust, offered as part of our Cloudflare account (and in the free version), is not just a “VPN” tunnel. Zero Trust also offers a number of other options. One of them is the ability to create “your own” secure DNS server.

Prices of everything are still rising, and people and businesses are looking everywhere they can to save. Domain names used for emails and websites are not the type of service where you can save, however, any price rise is not pleasant to see.

For years, I have been tightening up some of my domains by registering them with Namesco (names.co.uk).

Namesco is one of those companies that imposes an additional fee on every domain if you decide to transfer it away. They justify this by citing administrative costs, but I’ve observed this practice with them for years and no other provider does the same.

If you follow my website and posts related to OpenWrt you have probably come across my post about installing a VPN server on an OpenWrt router using WireGuard.

WireGuard is one of the fastest protocols available for creating a VPN connection. Thanks to it, from the Internet, we can easily connect to our network and use it, either for local purposes (access to a printer or network drive) or to limit regional restrictions. Being outside the country, I can connect to my router at any time and my device will appear on the Internet as if it were where the router is, i.e. in the UK.

It’s not the first time we’ve been in this situation where when we start using a service, it’s turned into a cash cow or killed like a fly.

Google is famous for killing its services. This time, they’re not exactly killing another one, but selling it to another company is no different.

If you have your own domain and you are unable to receive and send emails from this address because it involves additional costs, Cloudflare has prepared the perfect solution for you.

Email Routing (email forwarding) is a free service worth considering.

To use this option, our domain must be managed on Cloudflare’s DNS servers. If we have MX (mail) records for another service, we will need to delete and replace them.

Email Routing involves setting an email address in the domain from which each email received will be forwarded to another mailbox.

If your business email address is on a Gmail domain, why not start using email on your own domain. You will gain more prestige and professionalism, even though nothing will really change for you, because we will continue to receive mail on the mailbox that you have been using so far.

For over a couple years my employers website been served from shared hosting solution on Namesco. On recent years however, we feel that we been left behind. It started with just PHP, where we stick with the 7.3 version without not plan to go into 7.4 and not thinking even with 8.0. Until significant issues with performance of the servers (where even Customer Support couldn’t help without persuading you to migrate to dedicated servers), it was time to think what’s next.

Cloudflare is known for being the next Google and providing us with high-quality services, many of which can be used for free without any compromises. Fortunately, unlike Google, it is not so eager to kill its services.

From domain management, to SSL certificate for your website, secure and fast DNS, to turbocharging your internet connection with WARP (or WARP+ for those who want more).