Description

Cloudflare has officially discontinued support for unencrypted HTTP connections to its API endpoints, now enforcing HTTPS-only access to api.cloudflare.com. This measure eliminates the risk of accidentally transmitting sensitive data, such as API keys or tokens, in plaintext before an HTTP request is rejected or redirected. Previously, even denied HTTP requests could inadvertently expose credentials, especially on unsecured public networks where adversary-in-the-middle attacks are a significant threat. By completely disabling HTTP connections at the transport layer, Cloudflare ensures all API interactions begin securely, closing off a critical attack vector. This change impacts developers, system administrators, and automated systems that depend on Cloudflare’s API for managing DNS settings, firewall rules, DDoS mitigation, caching, SSL configurations, analytics, and security policies. Scripts, bots, and legacy systems that rely on HTTP or lack HTTPS support will be unable to connect. The update is particularly significant for IoT devices and outdated software that still attempt plaintext API requests. To assist customers in transitioning smoothly, Cloudflare plans to introduce a free option later this year to disable HTTP traffic without causing disruptions. According to Cloudflare’s data, while only 2.4% of internet traffic flowing through its network still uses HTTP, automated traffic increases this figure to nearly 17%. To minimize disruptions, customers can review their HTTP versus HTTPS usage in their Cloudflare dashboard before making necessary adjustments. As the industry shifts towards mandatory encryption, Cloudflare’s decision reinforces the standardization of HTTPS to enhance security, privacy, and protection against cyber threats.