A Content Delivery Network (CDN) stores copies of your website's static files on servers around the world and serves them from the location closest to each visitor. This guide explains when a CDN is useful and how to set one up with your Web60 site.
What a CDN does
When someone visits your website, their browser downloads files from your server — images, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, and fonts. Without a CDN, all of these come from a single server location.
A CDN copies these static files to servers (called edge nodes) in multiple locations. When a visitor in New York loads your site, the static files come from a nearby server instead of travelling all the way from Dublin. This reduces the time it takes for those files to arrive.
Do you need a CDN?
For many Web60 customers, the answer is no. Here is why:
Your Web60 site is hosted in a Dublin data centre. If your customers are mainly in Ireland and the UK, they are already geographically close to the server. The response times are already fast, and adding a CDN provides minimal extra benefit.
A CDN becomes valuable when:
- You have international visitors. If a significant portion of your traffic comes from the United States, Australia, or other distant regions, a CDN will noticeably speed up their experience.
- You serve large static files. Sites with many large images, downloadable PDFs, or video content benefit from CDN distribution.
If your site primarily serves an Irish audience, your time is better spent optimising images and keeping plugins lean.
How to add Cloudflare to your Web60 site
Cloudflare is the most widely used CDN and offers a free plan that works well with Web60. Here is how to set it up:
Step 1: Create a Cloudflare account
Go to cloudflare.com and create an account. Add your domain name and Cloudflare will scan your existing DNS records.
Step 2: Update your nameservers
Cloudflare will give you two nameservers to use. Update your domain's nameservers to the Cloudflare nameservers in the Web60 portal under your site's domain settings. This change can take up to 24 hours to take effect.
Step 3: Set SSL mode to Full
This step is critical. In the Cloudflare dashboard, go to SSL/TLS and set the encryption mode to Full. Do not use Flexible.
If you set it to Flexible, Cloudflare will connect to your Web60 server over plain HTTP. Your server will then redirect to HTTPS. Cloudflare will follow the redirect but connect over HTTP again. This creates an infinite redirect loop that makes your site unreachable.
Full mode tells Cloudflare to connect to your server over HTTPS, which is what your Web60 server expects.
Things to watch for
- Separate caches. Clearing your WordPress cache in the Web60 portal does not clear Cloudflare's cache. If changes are not appearing, purge the Cloudflare cache from the Cloudflare dashboard as well.
- Cloudflare-specific errors. Error pages with Cloudflare branding (like "Error 522") indicate a connection issue between Cloudflare and your server. Check the Cloudflare dashboard or contact support.
- DNS propagation. After changing nameservers, it can take up to 24 hours for the change to fully propagate.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a CDN if my customers are mainly in Ireland?
Probably not. Your Web60 site is hosted in a Dublin data centre, so visitors in Ireland and the UK already get fast response times. A CDN adds the most value when you have significant traffic from other continents.
Will Cloudflare's free plan work with Web60?
Yes. Cloudflare's free plan includes CDN, basic DDoS protection, and SSL. It works with Web60 sites. Just make sure to set the SSL mode to Full, not Flexible.
Do I need to clear Cloudflare's cache when I clear my WordPress cache?
They are separate caches. Clearing your WordPress cache in the Web60 portal does not clear Cloudflare's cache. If you make changes to your site and they are not appearing, you may need to purge the Cloudflare cache from the Cloudflare dashboard as well.
Last updated: 4 April 2026