Cloudflare API Essential Guide

What type of API does Cloudflare provide?

Based on the search results, Cloudflare offers multiple types of APIs, including:

1. GraphQL API

Cloudflare provides a GraphQL Analytics API that allows users to query data about HTTP requests, specific products like Firewall or Load Balancing, and packet-level data for Network Analytics users. The GraphQL API has a single endpoint at https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/graphql.

2. REST API

While not explicitly mentioned in the search results, Cloudflare is known to have REST APIs for various services. This can be inferred from comparisons made between REST and GraphQL in the context of Cloudflare's offerings.

3. API Gateway

Cloudflare offers an API Gateway service that can protect both REST and GraphQL APIs. The API Gateway provides features like JWT validation and protection against malicious GraphQL queries.

Does the Cloudflare API have webhooks?

Yes, the official Cloudflare API does have webhooks. Cloudflare offers webhook functionality for various events and services. Here are the key points about Cloudflare's webhook support:

Webhook Availability

1. Cloudflare provides webhook support for notifications and certain services.

2. Webhooks are available for accounts with at least one paid feature.

Types of Events

Cloudflare offers webhooks for various events, including:

1. SSL/TLS Certificate Management:

   • Certificate validation success
   • Certificate issuance success
   • Certificate deployment success
   • Certificate deletion success

2. Stream Events:

   • Video processing and management events

3. Custom Events:

   • Users can configure generic webhooks for custom notifications

Webhook Configuration

1. Users can configure webhooks through the Cloudflare dashboard or API.

2. Cloudflare supports both predefined webhook services (like Slack, Google Chat, Discord) and generic webhooks.

3. For generic webhooks, users can specify a custom URL and secret.

Webhook Security

1. Cloudflare recommends using a secret for generic webhooks.

2. The cf-webhook-auth header is used to verify the authenticity of incoming webhooks.

3. For some services like Stream, Cloudflare signs webhook requests and includes a signature in the Webhook-Signature header.

Limitations and Best Practices

1. Generic webhook notifications are only dispatched to publicly resolvable IP addresses on ports 80 or 443.

2. Users can use Cloudflare Workers to transform webhook responses for compatibility with different services.

3. Webhook URLs must include the protocol (http:// or https://).

In summary, Cloudflare's API offers robust webhook support for various events, allowing users to receive notifications and automate responses to specific occurrences within their Cloudflare-managed services. The types of events you can subscribe to depend on the specific Cloudflare service you're using, with options ranging from SSL/TLS certificate management to video processing events.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Here are the key points about the API Rate Limits for the Cloudflare API:

Global Rate Limit

• The global rate limit for the Cloudflare API is 1200 requests per five minutes per user [1].
• This limit applies cumulatively across all API calls, regardless of whether they are made via the dashboard, API key, or API token [1].
• If you exceed this limit, all API calls for the next five minutes will be blocked, receiving a HTTP 429 response [1].

Specific API Limits

• Some specific API calls have their own limits and are documented separately, such as:
  • Cache Purge APIs
  • GraphQL APIs
  • Rulesets APIs [1]

Enterprise Customers

• Enterprise customers can contact Cloudflare Support to request a higher rate limit [1].

Rate Limiting Rules

• Cloudflare also offers configurable rate limiting rules that allow you to define custom rate limits for specific requests [3].
• These rules can be set up at both the zone and account level, depending on your plan and product subscriptions [3].
• Rate limiting rules are evaluated in order, and some actions like "Block" will stop the evaluation of other rules [3].

Security Center API Limits

• There are separate monthly quota limits for the Security Center Threat Intelligence APIs:
  • Free, Pro, and Business plans: 100 calls per month
  • Enterprise plan: 2,500 calls per month
  • Cloudflare One Core: 10,000 calls per month
  • Cloudflare One Premier: 50,000 calls per month [5]

Best Practices

• Be aware of the global rate limit and any specific limits for the APIs you're using.
• For high-volume usage, consider reaching out to Cloudflare Support if you're an Enterprise customer.
• Implement proper error handling in your code to deal with rate limit responses (HTTP 429).
• Use rate limiting rules judiciously to protect your origin server from excessive traffic.

It's important to note that these limits may change over time, so it's always a good idea to check the official Cloudflare documentation for the most up-to-date information.

Latest API Version

The most recent version of the Cloudflare API is v4. Here are the key points to consider:

1. API Version: Cloudflare's current API version is v4, which is the most up-to-date and feature-rich version available.

2. API Endpoint: The base URL for the Cloudflare API v4 is https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/.

3. Authentication: To use the Cloudflare API v4, you need to authenticate your requests using either an API token or an API key and email combination.

4. Documentation: Cloudflare provides comprehensive documentation for their API v4, which includes detailed information about endpoints, request/response formats, and authentication methods.

5. Functionality: The Cloudflare API v4 offers a wide range of functionality, including managing DNS records, configuring security settings, and accessing analytics data.

6. Deprecation of older versions: While v4 is the current version, it's important to note that Cloudflare has deprecated older versions of their API. Always use the most recent version to ensure access to the latest features and improvements.

Best practices:

• Always refer to the official Cloudflare API documentation for the most up-to-date information on endpoints, parameters, and usage guidelines.
• Use API tokens instead of API keys when possible, as they provide more granular control over permissions and can be easily revoked if needed.
• Keep your authentication credentials secure and never share them publicly.
• Monitor Cloudflare's developer resources and changelog for any updates or changes to the API.

How to get a Cloudflare developer account and API Keys?

1. Create a Cloudflare account:

• Go to the Cloudflare website and sign up for a free account if you don't already have one.
• Verify your email address after creating the account.

2. Log into the Cloudflare dashboard:

• Go to dash.cloudflare.com and log in with your credentials.

3. Get an API token:

• In the Cloudflare dashboard, click on your profile icon in the top right corner and select "My Profile".
• Go to the "API Tokens" section.
• You can either use an existing API token template or create a custom token.

4. Create an API token:

• Select a template like "Edit zone DNS" or create a custom token.
• Give the token a descriptive name.
• Set the appropriate permissions and access levels for the token.
• Review the token settings and create it.

5. Save your API token:

• After creating the token, you'll see the token value. Make sure to copy and securely store this token, as it will only be shown once.

6. Test your API token:

• You can test the token using the provided curl command to verify it's working.

What can you do with the Cloudflare API?

Based on the provided search results, here is a list of data models that can be interacted with using the Cloudflare API, along with what is possible for each:

Bindings (env)

• Allow interaction with other Cloudflare Resources
• Enable access to various Cloudflare services within Workers

Cache

• Control reading and writing from the Cloudflare global network cache
• Manage caching of resources for improved performance

Console

• Use supported methods of the console API in Cloudflare Workers
• Log information for debugging and monitoring purposes

Context (ctx)

• Utilize the Context API in Cloudflare Workers
• Access waitUntil and passThroughOnException functionalities

Fetch

• Asynchronously fetch resources via HTTP requests inside a Worker
• Make external API calls or retrieve resources

Headers

• Access and manipulate HTTP request and response headers
• Set, get, and modify header information

Request

• Interact with the interface representing an HTTP request
• Access and modify request properties and data

Response

• Work with the interface representing an HTTP response
• Create and customize HTTP responses

Streams

• Use the web standard API for programmatically accessing and processing streams of data
• Handle large amounts of data efficiently

Web Crypto

• Utilize a set of low-level functions for common cryptographic tasks
• Perform encryption, decryption, and other cryptographic operations

WebSockets

• Communicate in real-time with Cloudflare Workers
• Establish and manage WebSocket connections

AI

• Integrate AI services using serverless inference with Workers AI
• Perform AI-related tasks within Workers

Analytics Engine

• Collect and analyze custom metrics from Workers
• Gain insights into Worker performance and usage

D1

• Interact with Cloudflare's SQL database
• Perform database operations within Workers

Durable Objects

• Work with strongly consistent data storage
• Implement stateful applications and services

KV (Key-Value)

• Interact with Cloudflare's key-value storage
• Store and retrieve data with high read requirements

R2

• Utilize Cloudflare's object storage solution
• Store and manage large amounts of unstructured data

Queues

• Work with message queues for asynchronous processing
• Implement job queues and background tasks

Vectorize

• Interact with Cloudflare's vector database
• Perform vector similarity searches and manage vector data

This list covers the main data models and APIs that can be interacted with using the Cloudflare API, providing a wide range of functionality for developers building applications on the Cloudflare platform.