# Turning off Cloudflare temporarily for maintenance or development

> Pause Cloudflare or turn on Development Mode so you can test changes to your site without the Cloudflare cache.

Source: https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/add-ons/cloudflare/turning-off-cloudflare-temporarily-for-maintenance-or-development/

Learn how to temporarily disable Cloudflare for site testing or development purposes.

### **Note**

For instructions on activating Cloudflare, see the setup guide. For detailed configuration guidance, consult the Cloudflare documentation.

### **Turning Off Cloudflare Entirely**

Disabling Cloudflare routes traffic directly to your web server, bypassing the Cloudflare proxy.

#### **Steps:**

1. Log in to your Cloudflare account.
2. In the left sidebar, click **Websites**, then select your domain (e.g., `example.com`).
3. In the right sidebar under **Advanced Actions**, click **Pause Cloudflare on Site**, then confirm.
4. To re-enable Cloudflare, click **Enable Cloudflare on Site** under **Advanced Actions**.

### **Enabling Development Mode**

Development Mode allows traffic to pass through Cloudflare while temporarily disabling caching so that site changes are visible immediately.

#### **Steps:**

1. Log in to your Cloudflare account.
2. In the left sidebar, click **Websites**, then select your domain.
3. In the right sidebar under **Quick Actions**, toggle the **Development Mode** slider.

**Important:** Development Mode automatically turns off after three hours. If your updates take longer, you must enable it again.\
To disable manually, toggle the **Development Mode** slider in **Quick Actions**.

### **More Information**

For additional guidance, visit [https://www.cloudflare.com](https://www.cloudflare.com/).