When you are troubleshooting issues like SSL mismatches, “Error 522” (connection timed out), or incorrect content being served, Cloudflare’s proxy (the “Orange Cloud”) can sometimes act as a black box that hides the root cause.
By disabling the proxy, you force the internet to look directly at your origin server’s IP address, allowing you to see exactly what is happening at the source.
1/ Log in to your Cloudflare Dashboard.
2/ Select the Domain you want to debug.
3/ Click on the DNS > Records tab in the left-hand sidebar.
4/ Locate the record you want and Click On EDIT
5/ Under the Proxy status column, click the Orange Cloud icon. It will turn Gray and the text will change from “Proxied” to “DNS Only.”
6/ Click Save.
Once the cloud is gray, Cloudflare stops masking your server’s IP. Because DNS changes take time to propagate, use these methods to verify that you are seeing the “real” IP.
Once you have identified the issue, remember to toggle the cloud back to Orange!