HTTP domain control validation (DCV)

HTTP validation involves adding a DCV token to your customer’s origin.

​​ Non-wildcard custom hostnames

If your custom hostname does not include a wildcard, Cloudflare will always and automatically attempt to complete DCV through HTTP validation, even if you have selected TXT for your validation method.

This HTTP validation should succeed as long as your customer is pointing to your custom hostname and they do not have any CAA records blocking your chosen certificate authority.

​​ Wildcard custom hostnames

HTTP DCV validation is no longer allowed for wildcard certificates. You would instead need to use TXT validation.

​​ Validation methods

​​ HTTP (automatic)

If you value simplicity and your customers can handle a few minutes of downtime, you can rely on Cloudflare automatic HTTP validation.

Once you create a new hostname and choose the http validation method, all your customers have to do is add a CNAME to your $CNAME_TARGET and Cloudflare will take care of the rest.

If you would like to complete the issuance process before asking your customer to update their CNAME (or before changing the resolution of your target CNAME to be proxied by Cloudflare), choose another validation method.

​​ HTTP (manual)

Once you create a new hostname and choose this validation method, you will see the following values after a few seconds:

• API Open API docs link : Within the ssl object, store the values present in the validation_records array (specifically http_url and http_body).
• Dashboard: When viewing an individual certificate at SSL/TLS > Custom Hostnames, refer to the values for Certificate validation request and Certificate validation response.

At your origin, make the http_body available in a TXT record at the path specified in http_url. This path should also be publicly accessible to anyone on the Internet so your CA can access it.

Here is an example NGINX configuration that would return a token:

location "/.well-known/pki-validation/ca3-0052344e54074d9693e89e27486692d6.txt" {
       return 200 "ca3-be794c5f757b468eba805d1a705e44f6\n";
}

Once your configuration is live, test that the DCV text file is in place with curl:

$ curl "http://http-preval.example.com/.well-known/pki-validation/ca3-0052344e54074d9693e89e27486692d6.txt"
ca3-be794c5f757b468eba805d1a705e44f6

The token is valid for one check cycle. On the next check cycle, Cloudflare will ask the CA to recheck the URL, complete validation, and issue the certificate.

If you would like to request an immediate recheck, rather than wait for the next retry, send a PATCH request Open API docs link with the same values as your initial POST request.