5 – Add exceptions with Page Rules

In the Configure HTTPS settings tutorial, you configured zone settings that apply to all incoming requests for example.com. In this tutorial, you will add an exception to these settings using Page Rules.

Specifically, you will increase the security level for a URL known to be expensive to render and cannot be cached: https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call. Additionally, you will add a redirect from the previous URL used to host this page.

1. Create a new branch and append the page rule

Create a new branch and append the configuration.

git checkout -b step5-pagerule

Switched to a new branch 'step5-pagerule'

cat >> cloudflare.tf <<'EOF'
resource "cloudflare_page_rule" "increase-security-on-expensive-page" {
  zone_id  = var.zone_id
  target   = "www.${var.domain}/expensive-db-call"
  priority = 1

  actions {
    security_level = "under_attack"
  }
}

resource "cloudflare_page_rule" "redirect-to-new-db-page" {
  zone_id  = var.zone_id
  target   = "www.${var.domain}/old-location.php"
  priority = 2

  actions {
    forwarding_url {
      url = "https://www.${var.domain}/expensive-db-call"
      status_code = 301
    }
  }
}
EOF

2. Preview and merge the changes

Preview the changes Terraform will make and then merge them into the master branch.

terraform plan

cloudflare_record.www-asia: Refreshing state... [id=fda39d8c9bf909132e82a36bab992864]
cloudflare_record.www: Refreshing state... [id=c38d3103767284e7cd14d5dad3ab8669]
cloudflare_zone_settings_override.example-com-settings: Refreshing state... [id=e2e6491340be87a3726f91fc4148b126]
cloudflare_load_balancer_monitor.get-root-https: Refreshing state... [id=4238142473fcd48e89ef1964be72e3e0]
cloudflare_load_balancer_pool.www-servers: Refreshing state... [id=906d2a7521634783f4a96c062eeecc6d]
cloudflare_load_balancer.www-lb: Refreshing state... [id=cb94f53f150e5c1a65a07e43c5d4cac4]

Terraform used the selected providers to generate the following execution plan.
Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:
  + create

Terraform will perform the following actions:

  # cloudflare_page_rule.increase-security-on-expensive-page will be created
  + resource "cloudflare_page_rule" "increase-security-on-expensive-page" {
      + id       = (known after apply)
      + priority = 1
      + status   = "active"
      + target   = "www.example.com/expensive-db-call"
      + zone_id  = "e2e6491340be87a3726f91fc4148b126"

      + actions {
          + always_use_https    = false
          + disable_apps        = false
          + disable_performance = false
          + disable_security    = false
          + disable_zaraz       = false
          + security_level      = "under_attack"
        }
    }

  # cloudflare_page_rule.redirect-to-new-db-page will be created
  + resource "cloudflare_page_rule" "redirect-to-new-db-page" {
      + id       = (known after apply)
      + priority = 2
      + status   = "active"
      + target   = "www.example.com/old-location.php"
      + zone_id  = "e2e6491340be87a3726f91fc4148b126"

      + actions {
          + always_use_https    = false
          + disable_apps        = false
          + disable_performance = false
          + disable_security    = false
          + disable_zaraz       = false

          + forwarding_url {
              + status_code = 301
              + url         = "https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call"
            }
        }
    }

Plan: 2 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: You didn't use the -out option to save this plan, so Terraform can't
guarantee to take exactly these actions if you run "terraform apply" now.

git add cloudflare.tf
git commit -m "Step 5 - Add two Page Rules."

[step5-pagerule d4fec16] Step 5 - Add two Page Rules.
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+)

git checkout master

Switched to branch 'master'

git merge step5-pagerule

Updating 7a2ac34..d4fec16
Fast-forward
 cloudflare.tf | 23 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+)

3. Apply and verify the changes

First, test request the (now missing) old location of the expensive-to-render page.

curl -vso /dev/null https://www.example.com/old-location.php 2>&1 | grep "< HTTP\|Location"

< HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found

As expected, the location cannot be found. Apply the Page Rules, including the redirect that should fix this error.

terraform apply --auto-approve

cloudflare_record.www-asia: Refreshing state... [id=fda39d8c9bf909132e82a36bab992864]
cloudflare_load_balancer_monitor.get-root-https: Refreshing state... [id=4238142473fcd48e89ef1964be72e3e0]
cloudflare_zone_settings_override.example-com-settings: Refreshing state... [id=e2e6491340be87a3726f91fc4148b126]
cloudflare_record.www: Refreshing state... [id=c38d3103767284e7cd14d5dad3ab8669]
cloudflare_load_balancer_pool.www-servers: Refreshing state... [id=906d2a7521634783f4a96c062eeecc6d]
cloudflare_load_balancer.www-lb: Refreshing state... [id=cb94f53f150e5c1a65a07e43c5d4cac4]

Terraform used the selected providers to generate the following execution plan.
Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:
  + create

Terraform will perform the following actions:

  # cloudflare_page_rule.increase-security-on-expensive-page will be created
  + resource "cloudflare_page_rule" "increase-security-on-expensive-page" {
      + id       = (known after apply)
      + priority = 1
      + status   = "active"
      + target   = "www.example.com/expensive-db-call"
      + zone_id  = "e2e6491340be87a3726f91fc4148b126"

      + actions {
          + always_use_https    = false
          + disable_apps        = false
          + disable_performance = false
          + disable_security    = false
          + disable_zaraz       = false
          + security_level      = "under_attack"
        }
    }

  # cloudflare_page_rule.redirect-to-new-db-page will be created
  + resource "cloudflare_page_rule" "redirect-to-new-db-page" {
      + id       = (known after apply)
      + priority = 2
      + status   = "active"
      + target   = "www.example.com/old-location.php"
      + zone_id  = "e2e6491340be87a3726f91fc4148b126"

      + actions {
          + always_use_https    = false
          + disable_apps        = false
          + disable_performance = false
          + disable_security    = false
          + disable_zaraz       = false

          + forwarding_url {
              + status_code = 301
              + url         = "https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call"
            }
        }
    }

cloudflare_page_rule.redirect-to-new-db-page: Creating...
cloudflare_page_rule.increase-security-on-expensive-page: Creating...
cloudflare_page_rule.redirect-to-new-db-page: Creation complete after 3s [id=c5c40ff2dc12416b5fe4d0541980c591]
cloudflare_page_rule.increase-security-on-expensive-page: Creation complete after 6s [id=1c13fdb84710c4cc8b11daf7ffcca449]

Apply complete! Resources: 2 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.

With the Page Rules in place, try that call again, along with a test for the I'm Under Attack mode:

curl -vso /dev/null https://www.example.com/old-location.php 2>&1 | grep "< HTTP\|Location"

< HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
< Location: https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call

curl -vso /dev/null https://www.example.com/expensive-db-call 2>&1 | grep "< HTTP"

< HTTP/1.1 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable

The call works as expected. In the first case, the Cloudflare global network responds with a 301 redirecting the browser to the new location. In the second case, the Cloudflare global network initially responds with a 503, which is consistent with the I'm Under Attack mode.

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