August 2011 Summaries

On August 26, 2011, CloudFlare updated its logging system to improve the accuracy of page view counts. The change no longer treats AJAX (XHR) calls as page views, resulting in a 17% drop in overall reported page views. This update provides a more accurate representation of page views for websites with heavy AJAX usage, aligning them with user expectations. However, historical page view counts cannot be reverted due to the change requiring alterations at the edge of CloudFlare's network.

CloudFlare is a service that enhances website performance and security through proprietary technology, with 12 data centers across three continents. It offers features such as static content caching, bot filtering, and optional apps for integration with other services like Google Analytics and Pingdom. The CloudFlare Settings page allows users to manage various settings including Rocket Loader, Auto Minify, security levels, Development Mode, and Purge Cache. Additionally, the Reporting and Threat Control pages provide insights into website traffic and threat management. Users can follow CloudFlare on social media for updates and support or bookmark their status page for real-time service information. The Pro version of CloudFlare offers faster subsequent page loads, a Web Application Firewall, SSL compatibility, and more frequent stats updates compared to the free version.

On August 26, 2011, a hurricane named Irene was approaching the east coast of the United States. The data center in Ashburn, VA had taken several precautions to prepare for the storm, including backup generators, staff availability, emergency supplies, leak diversion kits, sandbags, and verified drains and sump pumps. However, what made users feel more reassured was that CloudFlare's architecture minimizes single points of failure, allowing traffic to continue flowing even if a data center goes down. The company also pledged to help keep websites online for those affected by the hurricane.

On August 25, 2011, a zero-day exploit called "Apache Killer" was discovered that used malformed Apache byte-range headers to crash web servers. The exploit affected the latest versions of Apache and versions back to v1.3. Within 96 hours, Apache announced they would release a patch. CloudFlare initially did not protect against this attack but quickly implemented a fix by limiting malformed or large numbers of byte-range headers from being relayed to the origin server. By August 25th at 18:00 GMT, the fix was pushed live across the entire CloudFlare network, protecting all CloudFlare-powered sites. Users are still recommended to upgrade Apache to the latest version when the patch is released.

On August 25, 2011, John Roberts introduced Haileo, a new CloudFlare App that enables website owners to monetize their image and video inventory through contextually matched advertising. Haileo's technology uses detection and classification algorithms to understand multimedia content like humans do, serving appropriate ad content without any extra work from the site owner. Currently, early access is limited to websites with 200,000 pageviews/month in the United States, but this requirement may be broadened in the future.

On August 22, 2011, Matthew Prince announced that CloudFlare reached a significant milestone with 312 million people passing through its network within the last 30 days. Interestingly, this number is equivalent to the total population of the United States, which ranks third in global population. An accompanying infographic was created by Kevin to provide further context and perspective on this achievement.

The text discusses ways to speed up a WordPress blog using Cloudflare, a popular blogging platform on the Cloudflare network. It mentions that Cloudflare's free CDN can help by caching static content and distributing it globally. Tips include using Cloudflare's Auto Minify and Rocket Loader tools, removing unnecessary plugins, optimizing images, and limiting social media buttons to improve site performance.

CloudFlare is dedicated to empowering website owners by ensuring their data belongs to them. One of the first features they developed was the ability for users to export their DNS files as a standard BIND file, making it easy for users to switch services if desired. Unfortunately, not all companies share this view, as demonstrated when DynDNS required EveryDNS users to pay to export their data before shutting down the service. In response, CloudFlare created a Data Liberation Tool and Bookmarklet to help EveryDNS users easily export their data without charge. The company encourages users to try the tool for creating backups of their DNS records to avoid being held hostage by other services in the future.

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film and Interactive Conferences use PanelPicker for session ideas. During the voting period, there is a surge of traffic that can be challenging to manage for a small IT team. In 2011, CloudFlare was utilized to help SXSW handle this increased load by cutting bandwidth usage in half and decreasing server load. The conferences took place from March 9-18 in Austin, TX, with members of the CloudFlare team participating in four proposed panels.

Matthew Prince shares his knowledge about DNS and its connection with OpenDNS, a company he supports at CloudFlare. He mentions David Ulevitch, the CEO of OpenDNS, who previously created EveryDNS, which handled nearly half a million domains' authoritative DNS since 2001. In January 2010, David sold EveryDNS to Dyn and shifted focus to OpenDNS. Prince had dinner with Ulevitch after the sale, discussing the end of EveryDNS and the beginning of CloudFlare. Dyn closed new signups for EveryDNS but kept the service running for legacy users until August 31, 2011. They charged a $4.95 one-time migration fee with additional fees based on the chosen plan. To help EveryDNS users, CloudFlare introduced the "EveryDNS Magic Import Tool." Users can import their EveryDNS information and set up their new or existing CloudFlare account. The basic service is free, and no countdown clocks are coming to their homepage. CloudFlare offers a globally distributed network of datacenters running Anycast DNS with performance and security tools that make websites faster and more secure. Inspired by Ulevitch's vision for EveryDNS, CloudFlare aims to take care of the entire community.

CloudFlare has introduced a new app called Pronounce, which allows users to read website text aloud in various languages and accents. The app utilizes Microsoft's translation tools and can read up to 512 characters of selected text. Pronounce was developed internally by Ram, who previously created a browser extension with the same functionality. This free app enhances user experience by making content more accessible and engaging.

The text discusses the LAMP Stack, which is a popular foundation for many internet applications, including those from companies like Google and Facebook. It consists of Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Some prefer Python over PHP and Postgres over MySQL, but the core concept remains the same. Recently, the "CLAMP" stack has emerged, combining CloudFlare with LAMP to enhance scalability on a global network. CloudFlare reduces the load on a typical LAMP server by nearly 70%, allowing for more efficient use of resources. Integration with top hosting providers makes it easier to transition from LAMP to CLAMP.

On August 8, 2011, Michelle Zatlyn announced that CloudFlare and Media Temple have formed a partnership to provide enhanced services for their customers. Since launching at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco in September 2010, both companies have developed a close relationship. With this new collaboration, Media Temple users can now access the benefits of CloudFlare's platform with just one click through their (mt) AccountCenter. This integration aims to make websites faster and more secure for all users.

On August 5th, 2011, John Roberts announced that Cloudflare's service is now available in 27 languages, thanks to their global community and the Smartling translation platform. Additionally, every Cloudflare user can use the same Smartling translation platform as a Cloudflare App to translate their own website. The company also shared an interesting story about how they worked with a Norwegian community member to accurately translate "supercharge" into Norwegian. They encouraged users to contribute by registering as volunteer translators and helping improve the multilingual websites.

Matthew Prince discusses the problems with traditional CDNs that require URL rewriting to third-party domains. This can be difficult and time-consuming for web administrators, as well as potentially hurting SEO due to lost credit from backlinks pointing to another domain. CloudFlare is designed to be transparent, not rewriting URLs of static content, ensuring full credit for the original content creator.

CloudFlare will be attending HostingCon 2011 in San Diego from August 8 to August 10. The company has been working with hosting providers to build the CloudFlare Certified Hosting Provider program, which offers benefits such as reduced bandwidth usage and server load, added security, and increased sales. CEO Matthew Prince will give a talk on Monday, August 8, about how third-party services can save money and improve performance for hosters. CloudFlare invites current partners and potential new ones to visit their exhibit booth #235 at HostingCon.