Cloudflare Pages: The Complete Guide

A comprehensive, multi-audience guide for building and deploying websites on Cloudflare Pages — whether migrating from WordPress or building from scratch.

Tip

Created from real-world experience migrating medical practice, med spa, and plastic surgery websites from WordPress and Unbounce to Cloudflare Pages at zero hosting cost.

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Who This Guide Is For

Leadership & Project Managers

• Start with: Business Case — Cost analysis, what you gain/lose
• Then read: Decision Guide — Which sites are good candidates
• Reference: Project Management — Timelines, checklists, handoff

Designers

• Start with: Business Case — Understand the shift from WordPress/Divi
• Key sections: Content Editing — How to make visual changes
• Reference: Optimization — Performance constraints that affect design

Developers

• Start with: Prerequisites — Tools and setup
• Core guides: WordPress Migration or Fresh Build
• Deep dives: Plugin Replacements through Troubleshooting

Everyone

• Quick reference: Decision Guide — Decision framework
• Day-to-day: Content Editing — How to make changes without being a developer

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What Is Cloudflare Pages?

Cloudflare Pages is a static site hosting platform built into Cloudflare’s global network (300+ edge locations worldwide). It serves pre-built HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files directly from the CDN edge — no server, no PHP, no database.

Key Characteristics

Feature	Description
Static hosting	Pre-built HTML/CSS/JS served from CDN
Serverless functions	Backend logic via Cloudflare Functions (Workers)
Global CDN	300+ edge locations, automatic
Free SSL	Automatic HTTPS certificates
Free tier	500 builds/month, unlimited bandwidth, 20K files/deploy
Workers Paid ($5/mo)	5,000 builds/month, 10M requests/day, 100K files/deploy (per account, not per site)
Custom domains	Connect any domain
Git integration	Auto-deploy from GitHub/GitLab
Instant rollback	Every deployment preserved, one-click rollback
Astro (first-party)	Cloudflare acquired Astro in Jan 2026

How It Differs From Traditional Hosting

WordPress (Traditional)

graph LR
  A[User Request] --> B[Web Server]
  B --> C[PHP Engine]
  C --> D[MySQL Database]
  D --> C
  C --> E[Generate HTML]
  E --> F[Send Response]

Every page load runs PHP code, queries a database, and generates HTML on the fly. This requires a server running 24/7.

Cloudflare Pages (Static)

graph LR
  A[User Request] --> B[CDN Edge - Nearest Location]
  B --> C[Return Pre-Built HTML]

Pages are built once at deploy time. Every request is served from the nearest edge location as static files. No server, no database, no PHP.

The Astro Connection

In January 2026, Cloudflare acquired The Astro Technology Company. Astro is now Cloudflare’s first-party web framework — the recommended way to build content-driven websites on Cloudflare Pages.

What Astro Brings

• Content-focused framework (perfect for marketing sites, blogs, docs)
• Component-based development (React, Vue, Svelte compatible)
• Static site generation with optional server-side rendering
• Content Collections for structured content management
• Built-in image optimization
• CMS integrations (Decap, Tina, Contentful, etc.)

The Analogy

Think of it as: WordPress is to WordPress.com as Astro is to Cloudflare Pages.

Astro is the framework. Cloudflare Pages is the hosting platform. Together they form a complete, modern web publishing stack.

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Why Migrate From WordPress?

The Cost Reality at a Glance

Standard WordPress

$100-300

per site / month

Typical hosting + premium plugins + security + CDN + maintenance

Optimized WordPress

~$50

per site / month

Unlimited licenses + minimal maintenance with unlimited licenses

Cloudflare Pages

$5/mo

total (per account, not per site)

Workers Paid plan covers unlimited sites, no maintenance overhead

Note

The cost savings are significant, but the value is operational efficiency and AI compatibility. In 300 sites, you’re not just saving $15,000-90,000/month — you’re eliminating hundreds of hours of manual maintenance and enabling AI automation.

WordPress Per-Site Costs

Cost Item	Monthly	Annual
Hosting (managed WP)	$20-50	$240-600
Premium theme (Divi)	$7-15	$89-180
Premium plugins (5-10)	$15-40	$180-480
Security plugin/service	$5-15	$60-180
Backup service	$5-10	$60-120
SSL certificate	$0-10	$0-120
CDN (if separate)	$0-20	$0-240
Subtotal (tools)	$52-160	$629-1,920
Maintenance time (2-4 hrs/mo)	$50-200	$600-2,400
Total per site	$100-360	$1,200-4,320

Danger

At scale (e.g., 300 sites): $30,000-108,000/month or $360,000-1,296,000/year

Cloudflare Pages Per-Site Costs

Cost Item	Monthly	Annual
Hosting	Free	Free
SSL certificate	Free	Free
CDN	Free	Free
DDoS protection	Free	Free
Functions (forms)	Free	Free
Email (SendGrid free)	Free	Free
Workers Paid plan	$5/account	$60/account
Total per site	~$0	~$0

Tip

The cost shifts from recurring hosting/plugin fees to one-time migration effort + minimal maintenance.

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What You Gain vs. What You Lose

What You Gain

Benefit	Impact
Near-zero hosting cost	$5/month total (Workers Paid covers entire account)
Superior performance	Static files from 300+ edge locations
Built-in security	No PHP/MySQL attack surface, automatic DDoS protection
No plugin management	No updates, no vulnerabilities, no conflicts
No server maintenance	No PHP versions, no MySQL tuning, no server patches
AI-compatible	Static HTML/Astro can be directly edited by AI tools
Instant rollback	Every deployment preserved, one-click revert
Global scale	Handles traffic spikes without upgrading hosting
99.99%+ uptime	Cloudflare’s infrastructure

What You Lose

Loss	Impact	Mitigation
Visual page builder	No Divi/Elementor drag-and-drop	Astro CMS, AI-assisted editing
WordPress admin	No wp-admin dashboard	Cloudflare Dashboard, GitHub, CMS panels
Plugin ecosystem	No one-click plugin installs	Cloudflare Functions, third-party APIs
Dynamic content	No PHP-generated pages	Pre-build at deploy time, Functions for dynamic needs
Database	No MySQL queries	Static content, external APIs if needed
User accounts/login	No native authentication	Cloudflare Access, Auth0, third-party
Built-in forms	No Contact Form 7 / Gravity Forms	Cloudflare Functions + SendGrid
Search	No WordPress search	Pagefind, Algolia, Fuse.js
E-commerce	No WooCommerce	Shopify embed, Snipcart, Stripe
Comments	No native comments	Disqus, Giscus, or remove

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Good Candidates vs. Bad Candidates

Ideal for Cloudflare Pages

Marketing / Brochure Sites

Practice websites, “about us” pages

Landing Pages

PPC campaigns, conversion pages

Portfolio Sites

Showcase work, case studies

Documentation

Guides, manuals, knowledge bases

Blogs

Content-focused sites (Astro excels here)

Small Business Sites

5-50 pages, mostly static content

Performance-Critical Sites

Core Web Vitals, SEO ranking focused

NOT Ideal

E-commerce Stores

Sites with carts, checkout, inventory (use Shopify)

Membership Sites

Login-required content, user dashboards

Web Applications

Complex interactivity, real-time data

Forums / Communities

User-generated content platforms

High-Frequency Publishing

News sites with constant publishing

WordPress-Plugin-Dependent

Booking systems, LMS, etc.

The Gray Area

Tip

These sites CAN be migrated with the right approach:

• Sites with 1-2 forms — Migrate! Forms work via Cloudflare Functions
• Sites with simple search — Migrate! Client-side search (Pagefind) works great
• Sites with a blog — Migrate! Astro handles blogs excellently
• Sites with booking widgets — Migrate! Embed third-party booking (Calendly, etc.)

Exit Strategy & Vendor Lock-In

An honest assessment of what locks you into Cloudflare and how hard it is to leave.

What Locks You In

Component	Lock-In Risk	Notes
DNS on Cloudflare	Low	Moving DNS requires updating nameservers at registrar + TTL propagation (hours to days)
Pages Functions	Medium	Written for Workers runtime, not standard Node.js. Would need rewrite for Vercel/Netlify
R2 storage	Low	S3-compatible API, data is portable
KV/D1	High	Proprietary APIs, locked in if used
Static HTML/CSS/JS	None	Runs anywhere — Netlify, Vercel, S3, any web server
Astro sites	None	Framework-agnostic, adapters for all platforms

Exit Difficulty by Site Type

Site Type	Exit Difficulty	What’s Involved
Static HTML sites	Easy	Copy files to any host
Astro sites	Easy	Change adapter, deploy elsewhere
Sites with form Functions	Medium	Rewrite 1 serverless function per site
Sites using KV/D1/Durable Objects	Hard	Rewrite data layer entirely

Tip

Our situation: Since we’re building static sites with minimal Functions (form submissions only), exit risk is LOW. The HTML is portable. Only the form handler (~1 file per site) would need rewriting to move to Vercel or Netlify.

Portability Safeguards

• Git repositories are yours — source code deploys anywhere
• R2 content uses S3-compatible API — can mirror to AWS S3
• Astro has adapters for Vercel, Netlify, Node.js, and Deno
• Static output is just HTML/CSS/JS files — the most portable format possible

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Document Index

#	Document	Audience	Purpose
00	Overview (this page)	Everyone	Overview and orientation
01	Business Case	Leadership, PMs	Business case, costs, ROI
02	Decision Guide	PMs, Leadership	Which sites to migrate, scoring
03	Prerequisites	Developers	Tools, accounts, setup
04	WordPress Migration	Developers	WordPress to Cloudflare process
05	Fresh Build	Developers, Designers	Building from scratch
06	Content Editing	Everyone	4 ways to make changes
07	Plugin Replacements	Developers, PMs	WordPress plugin alternatives
08	Optimization	Developers, Designers	Performance tuning
09	Deployment	Developers	Deploy, domains, DNS
10	Testing & Validation	Developers, QA	Testing and quality
11	Troubleshooting	Developers	Common issues and fixes
12	Project Management	PMs, Leadership	Checklists, timelines
13	Maintenance	Everyone	Post-launch operations

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Quick Start Paths

Convince My Boss

1. Read the Business Case
2. Share the cost comparison
3. Show the candidate scoring in the Decision Guide

Migrate a WordPress Site

1. Score the site using the Decision Guide
2. Set up tools per Prerequisites
3. Follow the WordPress Migration guide
4. Replace plugins per Plugin Replacements

Build a New Site

1. Set up tools per Prerequisites
2. Follow the Fresh Build guide
3. Choose an editing workflow from Content Editing

Update Existing Content

1. Go directly to Content Editing
2. Pick your comfort level (Dashboard, GitHub, CMS, or AI)

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Conventions Used in This Guide

• Commands are shown in code blocks: npm run deploy
• File paths are relative to the project root
• Cost figures are based on 2025-2026 pricing and real-world experience
• WordPress references assume WordPress.org (self-hosted), not WordPress.com
• “Site” means a single website/domain unless otherwise noted
• Checklists use checkbox format for tracking progress