Cloudflare is a third-party Content Delivery Network (CDN) that can be used with the LMS. At times, using third-party programs can impact LMS performance. Fortunately, there are solutions that can mitigate these issues. In this article we will outline an issue with the Auto Minify feature in Cloudflare, and two possible solutions to resolve it.

Cloudflare and your Custom Route

If you're using Cloudflare with your LMS, it's important to be aware of how certain Cloudflare features can impact the performance and functionality of your site. One such feature is Auto Minify, which is designed to reduce the size of files by removing unnecessary characters (i.e., spaces and comments) from JavaScript, CSS, and HTML files. However, Auto Minify can sometimes alter code in ways that result in unexpected behaviour, such as broken functionality or errors.

Affects of Auto Minification

Auto Minify may modify modern JavaScript and CSS files in ways that weren't anticipated during development. For example, it might misinterpret parts of certain JavaScript features or modern syntax, leading to truncated or malformed code. This can cause issues like grey screens, login failures, or other errors when accessing your LMS.

Recommended Solution: Use "DNS-Only" with Cloudflare

To prevent Auto Minify from modifying your code and causing these issues, we recommend setting your CNAME record to DNS-Only instead of Proxied. This ensures that Cloudflare does not alter any files, avoiding any risk of unintended changes to your LMS's functionality. To make this change, please advise the following:

1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
2. Navigate to the DNS settings for your domain.
3. Locate the CNAME record for your LMS route.
4. Click on the Proxied status to change it to DNS-Only.
5. Save your changes.

By choosing DNS-Only, your CNAME record will resolve directly without passing through Cloudflare's proxy servers, preventing any modifications to your site’s content.

Alternative: Disabling Auto Minify in Cloudflare

If you must use the Proxied setting for your CNAME, we recommend disabling Auto Minify to prevent any unexpected behaviour. To disable this feature, please advise the following:

1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
2. Go to the Speed section on the navigation menu.
3. Click on Optimization.
4. Locate the Auto Minify section.
5. Uncheck the boxes for JavaScript, CSS, and HTML to disable Auto Minify for these file types.
6. Save your settings.