How to Block Countries from Accessing Your Website Using Cloudflare Security Rules
Table of Contents
What You'll Learn
By the end of this guide, you'll know how to effectively block specific countries from accessing your website using Cloudflare's powerful security rules. We'll use blocking China as a practical example, but the same principles apply to any country or combination of countries.
Geo-blocking is a powerful security feature that allows you to control which countries can access your website. Whether you're dealing with spam, malicious traffic, or simply want to restrict your content to specific regions, Cloudflare's security rules make it easy to implement country-level blocking.
Why Block Countries from Your Website?
There are several legitimate reasons why website owners choose to implement geo-blocking:
Security & Spam Prevention
Reduce malicious traffic and automated attacks originating from specific regions.
- Block bot traffic and automated attacks
- Reduce spam form submissions
- Prevent credential stuffing attempts
- Lower DDoS attack surface
Compliance & Legal
Ensure compliance with regional regulations and licensing restrictions.
- GDPR and data privacy compliance
- Content licensing restrictions
- Trade sanctions compliance
- Regional legal requirements
Performance Optimization
Reduce server load by blocking regions with no legitimate traffic.
- Lower bandwidth consumption
- Reduced server resource usage
- Improved performance for target audience
- Better analytics accuracy
Business Strategy
Control content distribution based on your business model and target markets.
- Geographic market segmentation
- Prevent content scraping
- Control regional rollouts
- Protect competitive advantages
Understanding Cloudflare Security Rules
Cloudflare Security Rules (formerly known as Firewall Rules) allow you to create custom rules that filter traffic based on various criteria including:
Key Features of Cloudflare Security Rules
- Geographic filtering: Block or allow based on country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2)
- IP-based filtering: Target specific IP addresses or ranges
- Request attributes: Filter by URL, user agent, headers, and more
- Flexible actions: Block, challenge, allow, or log matching traffic
- Free tier availability: Available on all Cloudflare plans including free
Prerequisites Before You Start
Before implementing country blocking, ensure you have the following:
Requirements Checklist
- Active Cloudflare account (free or paid)
- Your domain must be using Cloudflare nameservers (proxied)
- Access to Cloudflare dashboard with admin permissions
- Knowledge of country codes you want to block (e.g., CN for China)
How to Block a Single Country (China Example)
Let's walk through the complete process of blocking China (country code: CN) from accessing your website.
Access Cloudflare Security Rules
Navigate to the security rules section in your Cloudflare dashboard.
Create a New Custom Rule
Set up a new security rule specifically for country blocking.
Configure the Rule Expression
Define the condition that will trigger this rule to block traffic from China.
Rule Expression
(ip.geoip.country eq "CN")Choose the Action
Select what should happen when the rule matches (traffic from China).
Deploy the Rule
Save and activate your country blocking rule.
Blocking Multiple Countries at Once
If you need to block multiple countries, you can create a single rule that targets all of them at once. This is more efficient than creating separate rules for each country.
Method 1: Using the "in" Operator
Create one rule that blocks a list of countries:
(ip.geoip.country in {"CN" "RU" "KP" "IR"})This blocks China (CN), Russia (RU), North Korea (KP), and Iran (IR)
Common Country Codes Reference
CN - China
RU - Russia
IN - India
BR - Brazil
KP - North Korea
IR - Iran
VN - Vietnam
UA - Ukraine
TR - Turkey
ID - Indonesia
PK - Pakistan
NG - Nigeria
Tip: Find complete list of country codes at ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 Wikipedia page
Allow Only Specific Countries (Whitelist Approach)
Instead of blocking specific countries, you might want to allow only certain countries and block everyone else. This is useful if you serve a limited geographic market.
Example: Allow Only US, UK, and Canada
Block all countries except the ones you specify:
(ip.geoip.country ne "US" and ip.geoip.country ne "GB" and ip.geoip.country ne "CA")This blocks all traffic except from United States (US), United Kingdom (GB), and Canada (CA)
Important: Use "not in" for Better Performance
For better performance with whitelisting, use the "not in" operator:
(ip.geoip.country notin {"US" "GB" "CA"})This is more efficient and easier to read than multiple "ne" (not equal) statements
Advanced Geo-Blocking Rules
Combine country blocking with other conditions for more sophisticated protection.
Block Country Except for Specific Paths
Allow Chinese visitors to access your blog but block them from other pages:
(ip.geoip.country eq "CN" and not http.request.uri.path contains "/blog")Block Specific Country Only on Login/Admin Pages
Block China only from accessing admin areas while allowing public pages:
(ip.geoip.country eq "CN" and http.request.uri.path contains "/wp-admin")Block Multiple Countries for POST Requests Only
Block form submissions from certain countries while allowing them to view content:
(ip.geoip.country in {"CN" "RU" "VN"} and http.request.method eq "POST")Combine Country Block with User Agent Filtering
Block specific countries and suspicious user agents:
(ip.geoip.country eq "CN" or http.user_agent contains "bot")Testing and Verification
After implementing your geo-blocking rules, it's crucial to verify they're working correctly.
Using VPN/Proxy Services
- Use a VPN service with servers in the blocked country
- Connect to a server in China (or target country)
- Try accessing your website
- You should see a 403 Forbidden error if blocking works
Monitor Cloudflare Analytics
- Go to Security → Events in Cloudflare dashboard
- Filter by your custom rule name
- View blocked requests in real-time
- Verify the country code matches your target
Pro Testing Tips
- Start with Log mode: Before blocking, use "Log" action to see what would be blocked
- Test from multiple locations: Verify both blocked and allowed countries work correctly
- Check mobile and desktop: Ensure blocking works across all device types
- Monitor for false positives: Watch for legitimate users being blocked incorrectly
Best Practices and Considerations
Follow these best practices to ensure effective and responsible geo-blocking implementation.
Do's - Recommended Practices
- Document why you're blocking specific countries
- Regularly review and update your block lists
- Monitor analytics to measure effectiveness
- Use clear rule naming conventions
- Test thoroughly before deploying
- Keep backup of your rule configurations
Don'ts - Things to Avoid
- Don't block countries without valid business reasons
- Don't forget to test before deploying rules
- Don't block your own country by mistake
- Don't use geo-blocking to discriminate illegally
- Don't rely solely on geo-blocking for security
- Don't ignore false positive reports from users
Legal and Ethical Considerations
- Discrimination laws: Ensure your geo-blocking complies with anti-discrimination regulations
- Trade compliance: Be aware of international trade sanctions and embargoes
- User communication: Consider adding a notice explaining why access is restricted
- VPN users: Legitimate users may use VPNs and appear to be from blocked countries
Common Issues and Troubleshooting
Encounter problems with your geo-blocking rules? Here are solutions to common issues.
Issue: Rule Not Blocking Traffic
Possible Causes:
- • Rule is not deployed or is disabled
- • Traffic is not proxied through Cloudflare (gray cloud)
- • Incorrect country code used in the rule
- • Rule priority conflict with other rules
Solutions:
- • Verify the rule is enabled in the dashboard
- • Check DNS records are proxied (orange cloud icon)
- • Double-check country codes (use ISO 3166-1 alpha-2)
- • Review rule order and priority settings
Issue: Legitimate Users Being Blocked
Possible Causes:
- • Users connecting through VPN from blocked country
- • IP geolocation database inaccuracy
- • Rule expression too broad
- • Corporate proxy/VPN routing through blocked country
Solutions:
- • Create allowlist for specific known IPs
- • Use "Challenge" instead of "Block" for gentler enforcement
- • Provide contact method for users to report false blocks
- • Consider combining with additional criteria (user agent, ASN)
Issue: Rule Consuming Too Many Resources
Problem: Hitting rate limits on free plan
Solutions:
- • Combine multiple countries into single rule using "in" operator
- • Remove redundant or overlapping rules
- • Use simpler expressions where possible
- • Consider upgrading to Pro plan for higher limits
Alternative Methods and Tools
While Cloudflare security rules are powerful, there are alternative approaches to geo-blocking:
Server-Level Blocking
Block countries at the web server level (Apache, Nginx)
- More control over blocking logic
- Works without third-party services
- Requires server access and configuration
- Uses your server resources
Application-Level Blocking
Implement geo-blocking in your application code (PHP, Node.js, etc.)
- Custom logic and user messaging
- Granular control per feature
- Requires development work
- Slower than edge-level blocking
Secure Your Website Today
Now that you know how to block countries using Cloudflare security rules, use our professional tools to further secure and optimize your website.
Congratulations! You've Mastered Geo-Blocking
What You've Learned:
- ✅ How to block single or multiple countries
- ✅ Creating whitelist-based rules
- ✅ Advanced conditional blocking
- ✅ Testing and verification methods
Security Benefits:
- ✅ Reduced spam and malicious traffic
- ✅ Better compliance with regulations
- ✅ Improved server performance
- ✅ Enhanced security posture
Geo-blocking with Cloudflare security rules is a powerful tool in your security arsenal. Use it responsibly to protect your website while ensuring legitimate users can still access your content. Remember to monitor your analytics regularly and adjust your rules as needed!