Always Use HTTPS

Learning Focus

By the end of this lesson you will know how to enable Cloudflare's automatic HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect.

What It Does

When enabled, Cloudflare automatically redirects all HTTP requests to HTTPS with a 301 redirect. This happens at the edge before traffic reaches your server.

Steps

1. Cloudflare Dashboard → SSL/TLS → Edge Certificates
2. Toggle Always Use HTTPS to On

Why It Matters

• Ensures all traffic is encrypted
• Prevents mixed-content warnings
• Improves SEO (Google prefers HTTPS)
• Eliminates the need for server-side redirect rules

info

This replaces the need for .htaccess HTTPS redirect rules on your server.

Key Takeaways

• Enable Always Use HTTPS for automatic edge-level HTTPS enforcement.
• This is simpler and more efficient than server-side redirect rules.

What's Next

• Continue to Automatic HTTPS Rewrites for mixed-content fixes.