What is the name of the domain?
What is the error number?
N/A
What is the error message?
N/A
What is the issue you’re encountering
Question on proposed authentication impact
What steps have you taken to resolve the issue?
Question on authentication and Cloudflare impact:
if authentication tied to an email address or an IP address if we are implementing using CDN as we want the file request to go through an authentication process where our server gets to know how many files have been downloaded by the user and if he has reached the download limit. Proposed to configure a CDN with a signed URL.
The application uses the following architecture.
Node.js App Servers: Hosts primary and secondary applications for scalability.
MySQL Databases: Primary and optional DR databases for data integrity and disaster recovery. We recommend using Ubuntu as the operating system for the MySQL servers due to its stability, security, and performance in production environments.
Assumption:
Cloudflare itself does not directly handle user authentication, so it will not impact your authentication scenario if you manage authentication in your web application. In the token-based authentication approach, Cloudflare acts as a transparent intermediary. It primarily focuses on traffic management, caching, and security, while your web application handles authentication, token generation, and download tracking.
In this setup, Cloudflare can still provide benefits like improved content delivery speed, reduced server load, and enhanced security features without interfering with the authentication process implemented in your web application.
Cloudflare, when configured correctly, will be transparent to your token-based authentication system and won’t negatively impact it.
Cloudflare’s Role (Reiterated):
Caching Static Content: Cloudflare’s primary function as a CDN is to cache and serve static content (like your downloadable files) from its edge servers.
Not Directly Involved in Authentication: Cloudflare itself doesn’t handle your user logins, token generation, or download limits. That logic remains entirely within your web application.
How the Flow Works:
User Authentication: The user logs in to your web application (hosted on your origin server).
Token Generation & Download Link: Your web app authenticates the user, generates the download token, and presents a download link like: https://cdn.yourdomain.com/file.zip?token=xyz123.
Cloudflare Receives Request: The user’s browser requests the file from Cloudflare’s edge servers using the provided link.
Token Bypasses Cache (Important!): Because the URL contains a unique token (as a query parameter), Cloudflare will typically not serve this request from its cache. It will forward the request to your origin server.
Origin Server Authentication: Your origin server receives the request, including the token.
Token Verification & File Serving: Your server-side code verifies the token. If valid, it serves the file directly to the user.
Cloudflare Caches (Optional): Depending on your Cloudflare configuration and the nature of the download, Cloudflare might cache the file after the initial authenticated request. However, subsequent requests with different tokens will still be forwarded to your origin for validation.