Whitelisting an IP address on Cloudflare explicitly allows traffic from that IP, even if other security or filtering rules might block it. This operation is essential to ensure the proper functioning of third-party services or to prevent certain legitimate users from being affected by overly restrictive security rules.
How to whitelist an IP on Cloudflare
- Log in to the Cloudflare Dashboard.
- Select the site in question.
- Go to Security > WAF (Web Application Firewall).
- Click on Custom rules then Create rule.
- In the rule, select the Source IP Address condition and enter the IP address to be allowed.
- Select the Skip action.
- Check the box for All remaining custom rules.
- Click on Deploy.
Good practices
- Anticipating needs: list all external services (ERP, payment modules, marketing tools, etc.) that may access your site before the activation of Cloudflare.
- Prioritize exclusions: favor exclusions by domain or ASN to avoid exhausting the rule quota.
- Testing after activation: ensure that the excluded services are functioning properly after the implementation of the rules.
Official Cloudflare Documentation
For more details on the procedure via the Cloudflare dashboard (in English): IP Access rules.